


An Alien among Men

by Lastsyns



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Auction, Dom Jack, Injury, Injury Recovery, M/M, Master/Slave, No TARDIS, Ownership, Spanking, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Whipping, rectal temperature
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2018-04-24 05:49:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 48,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4907782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lastsyns/pseuds/Lastsyns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor has been told stories all his life about how Earth keeps Aliens as Slaves. He always thought they were just stories until he finds himself being captured and sold at the Auctions. Jack is determined to show him that he was wrong about humans, first he needs to make the Doctor trust him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Doctor knelt shivering inside the cage. He had been told horror stories, ever since he was a child, about how it was dangerous to go to Earth. How any alien who had even gone to Earth, had been dissected or if they looked human, sold into slavery never to be seen again. The Doctor hadn't believed the stories, of course, why would he. He had always compared them to stories of the boogeyman. They were told to keep children in line and to keep young Time Lords from traveling the universe. Gallifrey was safe and as long as they stayed on Gallifrey they would be too. That wasn't true as the Time War took his home planet from him, still he hadn't dared to set foot on Earth, until now. 

He had been cautious as he carefully secured his TARDIS away, locking her tightly. Yet as soon as he had stepped out into the streets, he had been detected. Hands grabbed him roughly, pulling his arms behind his back and forcing him to the ground. A man came up holding a scanner that was well beyond Earth Technology. The blue light ran over him. 

"Two hearts, the alien species is unknown, though," The man confirmed looking at the screen. "What is your name and species?" The Doctor gritted his teeth refusing to answer. The man leaned down grabbing his head and wrenching it to the side. The Doctor couldn't help the yelp of pain that escaped his lips as the man scanned his neck. "No chip either. That's alright we will take care of that soon enough. Get him to processing."

"Let me go," The Doctor hissed finally as he fought the men picking him up. He managed to get an arm loose, hitting the man holding him. The last thing he remembered was a fist hitting him squarely in the jaw before his world went black. He woke up once after that, inside the cage inside a moving vehicle. He had been stripped of his coat and was wearing just his trousers. That had been hours ago. The car had already made it to its destination and he had been carried out inside the cage and placed in a room with others. He couldn't help but notice that most of them were attached naked to poles by leashes. They all seemed at ease with the situation and one or two were even napping. There were two others in cages like him, yet they too had collars and didn't seem worried. 

"This one was found on the streets of London, he has no chip and is refusing to speak. The boss wants him processed as soon as possible so that we can put him in the auction tomorrow," One of the young men who caught him spoke up. The Doctor glared up at him to see him standing next to a man wearing a long white coat and holding a clipboard. 

"It says here you were unable to identify his species. Two hearts is uncommon but are you sure he isn't a Dyzemra, he has all the correct features," He wondered.

"You tell me," the young man spat. "That's what we pay you for." The man in the coat knelt down and opened the cage. Almost immediately the Doctor tried to leap out at him and knock him away. The young man was ready for him and he found himself flat on the ground. He fought as the man forced his arms behind his back, cuffing them together. 

"Fiesty one. I feel sorry for whoever buys him. They are going to have their hands full. Now let's get him up on the table so I can examine him." The Doctor continued to fight as he was lifted off of the ground and carried to a low metal table. He was laid facing down on it. 

"Don't you dare," He yelled as the young man picked up a leather collar. With his hands behind his back, he was unable to get away as the collar was put around his neck. The man then attached a short leash to it, forcing his head against the table. His trousers were pulled off of him, leaving him naked and feeling exposed. 

"My name is Doctor Alex Kass. What is your name?" Alex questioned. The Doctor glared up at him as he continued to fight. He didn't answer Alex as the less they knew about him the better. For the first time in his long life he wished he had listened to the Gallifreyan elders and stayed away from Earth. He heard the sound of gloves snapping and then Alex placed his hand on his bottom separating his cheeks. He tried to roll away, but the young man grabbed his legs holding them down. He cried out as something long and thin was forced into his body. Turning his head as much as he could, he saw a rectal thermometer sticking out of his bottom. Alex held it in place, not allowing him to dispel it early. Relief filled him as after three minutes it was removed. "16.2 celsius. He has to be a Dyzemra."

"I will list him as one for the sale. How come the scanners couldn't tell?" The young man questioned. 

"I don't know, but he fits all the characteristics. He might be an illegal crossbreed since he isn't chipped," Alex commented as he pushed his finger this time against the Doctor's anus. The Doctor bit his tongue as the man's finger slipped into his body. Alex paused. "He is a virgin as well."

"Are you sure?" The young man asked sounding excited. 

"Most definitely," Alex confirmed removing his finger. He wiped the gel away and then forced the Doctor on his side. The Doctor felt his member gripped in the man's hand and tried to fight the man as he examined him. It didn't matter what he did though as he was poked and prodded. His ears, eyes, mouth, hearts, and lungs were all checked as well before he was pronounced in good health. The young man left the collar and handcuffs on him as he was forced back into the cage. The next man was taken out of his and the Doctor watched the same test being performed. Yet when the man was brought back he was only chained to a pole. 

Hours passed before they were all finally alone in the room. Several of the men had been taken to another room to await a future auction while he was left with the others who would be sold tomorrow. He trembled in fear as he tried desperately to find a way out. 

"You might as well get some sleep. It might be the last time you are allowed to sleep for awhile," A slave nearby informed him as he settled down. 

"I don't need to sleep. I am going to find a way out of here," The Doctor responded. The slave shrugged closing his eyes. 

"Good luck," he responded with a yawn. Try as he might, though, the Doctor couldn't find an escape. Morning came and they were all taken from the room and moved to a larger room. He was taken out of his cage and a set of shackles was placed on his legs to keep him from being able to run. He lay their miserable as men in dress suits wandered the room looking at the slaves for auction. He was tired, but he didn't dare close his eyes as he watched them all wearily. 

"A virgin, huh?" A man with an American accent asked. He wasn't dressed like the others. Instead, he was wearing a pair of gray pants with a long gray coat over his white dress shirt. He glanced at the Doctor before turning to look at his information. He smiled and snorted as he read the species. There was no way this man was a Dyzemra, he was too tall and had brown eyes not the standard golden of the species. Jack couldn't help but notice the fight in his eyes as well. He had come to the auction with Ianto to help Ianto pick out a gift for his sister's wedding anniversary. He himself had never owned a slave, nor did he ever plan to. Looking in the slave's eyes, though, he couldn't leave him. Someone else would take great pleasure in buying him and breaking his spirit and Jack realized that he couldn't let that happen. This one wasn't like the rest of the ones in the room and for the first time he found himself placing a bid. He knew that being a virgin this one wouldn't be cheap. He didn't care, though, as he had to have him. 

"What do you think Ianto?" Jack asked as a young man came over to him.

"I think he is a little out of my price range," Ianto commented. Jack laughed. He took Ianto's hand moving on. Others came over to stare at the Doctor and a few other's made a bid. As evening fell, the Doctor watched as the new owners came to collect their slaves. He watched growing more and more terrified as they were forced to crawl out of the room on their hand and knees. Some receiving, swats on their backs or bottom from a thin rod when then didn't listen. He looked up as footsteps approached and the man with the American accent came back to him. He had Alex with him.

"He is a lively one so you need to be careful. I have manuals and classes you can take if you need help with his training," Alex was telling him. The Doctor cried out as Alex grabbed his head forcing it to the side. 

"Easy," Jack hissed. 

"I have to place the chip," Alex told him as the Doctor felt the sharp pinprick of a needle enter his shoulder by his neck. The needle was removed and the Doctor glared at him. Alex shook Jack's hand then walked away. Jack knelt down in front of the Doctor. 

"My name is Captain Jack Harkness. What is your name?" Jack wondered as he gently caressed the side of the Doctor's head. The Doctor ignored him as he laid his head back on the table. "I know it is has been a long day, I'm tired too. Let's get you home and get you settled." Jack didn't unbind him expect to unhook the leash. He was carried out to an SUV and laid in the back of it. Jack went around to the front and soon they were on their way. With each mile he could feel the TARDIS less and less and soon his was weeping quietly as he wondered if he would ever be free again.


	2. Chapter 2

Over three hours later and they were still on the road. Jack had remained quiet the entire time, but the Doctor could feel him keeping one eye on him through the rearview mirror. The Doctor had long since given up crying. He instead lay there feeling the TARDIS slip away from him mile after mile until she was barely a whisper in his mind. He couldn't tell where he was and the way he was bound without his screwdriver made it impossible for him to escape. Even if he did get out, according to the humans he belonged to the man driving the SUV and they would scan the chip in his neck and return him to the man. He looked up as the SUV came to a stop and Jack got out. He waited and when the door to the back didn't immediately open, he squirmed towards the window looking out. 

He was surprised to see that they were at a small store and he could see Jack through the window picking up a few things. Now was the time to try to make his escape. Laying on his stomach, he pulled his legs closer to himself so that they were bent then lift his stomach off of the floor. He managed to get upright on his knees with his back slightly bent to keep his head from hitting the top of the SUV. He walked on his knees over to the seat, pushing himself against it, then using his legs to push himself over. He slid head first over the seat, his legs up in the air. Rocking his body, he fell sideways, hissing in pain as his head slid off the seat hitting the floor behind the drivers seat. He tried to squirm but with his hands still trapped behind his back he couldn't get the leverage to pull himself up. He paused taking a deep breath to calm himself as he tried to think it over. As he did, the front door to the SUV opened. 

"What are you doing there?" Jack wondered as he saw the Doctor's bare legs sticking up in the backseat. Jack sat the bad on the driver's seat before going to the back seat. He opened the door and took in the alien, lying at an angle on the backseat. "I asked what are you doing?" The Doctor didn't answer him as he was pulled off of the floor roughly so that he could look at Jack. He narrowed his eyes as he looked into Jack's bright blue ones. "That is a very bad boy. You will remain in the back where I put you," Jack scolded. The Doctor closed his eyes. He felt himself being lifted up and was carried to the back of the SUV once more. Jack closed it, trapping him before he heard the door to the front open. He opened his eyes and watched Jack throw a bag on the passenger seat before the SUV started. 

"Now just be good a little while longer we are almost home," Jack told him. The Doctor really wanted to comment that it would never be his home, but instead he kept his mouth shut, making the decision that he was never going to talk to this human. This human may own his body by human standards, but it would never own him or his mind. He would let the human come to trust him, then run away back to the TARDIS. Once there he would send the Shadow Proclamation to deal with the humans taking aliens as slaves. They normally wouldn't interfere with a level five-planet, but the Doctor was sure he could convince them otherwise. 

The SUV came to a stop again and Jack picked up the bag along with a second one the Doctor didn't see him place there. He carried them around to the back of the SUV then opened the door. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a key and unlocked one of the shackles around the Doctor's ankles. The Doctor kicked at him with his now free leg. 

"Oi, that is one and I haven't even explained punishments to you. Now I am assuming you can walk. Get up out of the SUV and follow me into the house," Jack told him. The Doctor glared at him getting out of the SUV. Rather than follow Jack to the house, though, he tried to run away. Jack dropped the bags chasing after him. He was surprised how fast Jack was as Jack caught up to him and tackled him to the ground. He fought and kicked as Jack picked him up and carried him towards the house. 

"Knock it off," Jack snapped at him as they made it to the door. The Doctor fought Jack harder as Jack had to release him with one arm to unlock the door. He managed to get loose again and took off once more. He made it halfway across the yard before Jack brought him down again. He expected to be carried to the house, but Jack sat on the grass and put the Doctor over his lap. With a firm hand on the Doctor's back, he held his legs down. Since he had never owned an alien before and decided to follow the standard rule of punishment that most owners had. Ianto owned three and Jack knew that he tended to spank them before bed. He had witnessed Ianto administering punishment in the middle of the day on several different occasions. 

"For the most part you will be punished by spankings. I will administer your punishment every evening before bed for the day for minor offenses. For major offenses, you will be punished at that time as I see fit. You will count ever slap and then thank me afterward for your punishment. Now I am going to spank you and then we are going into the house, is that understood?" Jack wondered. The Doctor refused to answer him, continuing to squirm in his grip. He felt Jack's hand release his legs and then felt as well as heard the slap as Jack's hand connected with his bottom. Jack took no pleasure in the punishment as he continued to spank the Doctor. He had only intended to spank him ten times to begin with but when the Doctor continued to squirm and refusing to count, he kept going. By twenty-two, the man finally went still and Jack spanked him three more times before stopping. They were both breathing hard and Jack leaned the Doctor up so he could look in his eyes. The brown eyes were full of hatred even as tears filled them. 

"Let's try this again," Jack told him as he stood up. He grabbed the Doctor's arm with one hand and picked up the bags with the other. He had to practically drag him the entire way, but finally they made it into the house. The Doctor looked around the sparsely furnished living room as Jack closed and locked the door behind them. It was obvious that Jack wasn't home much as the only things he had were a dark blue couch, a tv stand with a telly on it and a bookshelf with only a few books. A laptop lay on the kitchen table in the dining room. "This is where you will be living. You will also show me the proper respect regardless of whether or not I am here. I tend to be at work a lot and once I can trust you, you will have full run of the house while I am gone. I, of course, expect you to take care of the upkeep and cooking. Also normally it will be your job to carry the bags to the kitchen and put the groceries away. I will do that today since I can't free your arms. In the mean time, you will kneel and wait for me so that we can go up to bed once I am finished." He stared at the Doctor waiting for him to kneel. When the Doctor didn't listen, he put a hand to his shoulder pushing him down to his knees. Jack hated the fact that the slave was making him be mean to him. He hoped that once they learned to trust each other he could be easier on him, for now he had no choice but to make him realize that he was in charge. He took the bag of groceries to the kitchen, leaving the other on the table. He put the food away and then returned to find the Doctor trying to unlock the door. 

"That's two. Now let's go to bed," Jack told him. He pulled the Doctor away from the door and up the stairs to the bedrooms. He had two rooms in his house, one of which he had set up as an office though he tended to work at the table and the other was his room. It was also simply furnished with just a king size bed and a dresser. Jack pulled one of the blankets off the bed and laid it at the end of the bed. "You will sleep here. Now lay down." Once again they had a fight as Jack forced the Doctor to lay down. Jack wanted a shower so he shackled the Doctor's feet back together. Leaving the room a moment he came back with rope. He tied the rope to the end of the bed and then tied it around the shackles. He then went to the head of the bed and did the same with the handcuffs, making it so the Doctor couldn't escape.

Jack left him alone again as he went to the bathroom and showered. He was wondering if he made a mistake buying the slave after all. It was clear from his actions that he wasn't used to listening to anybody and would be better off in the hands of an experienced trainer. Jack couldn't do that to him, though. He was going to show that alien that he was only trying to help him, even if it killed him. Finishing his shower, he went to the living room and retrieved his laptop before heading to bed. He saw the Doctor laying on the blanket squirming, but he couldn't get free. His eyes went wide upon seeing Jack naked, but Jack ignored him heading to bed. 

"Try to get some sleep. Tomorrow we begin your training and I expect that we are going to have a long day and you will have a very sore bottom by the time we are done," Jack informed him. He heard the Doctor huff at him. He climbed under the blankets and propped up the laptop to begin researching the best way to train a stubborn alien like the one he had. "It would really help me to know what to call you. If you don't tell me your name I will have to come up with something to call you. I would rather call you by your preferred name as I know it is hard enough on you being in a new home. It will make it a little easier if you just tell me your name," Jack spoke up again after a little while. He wasn't surprised when he didn't receive an answer. They didn't mention at the auction house if the alien was mute or not. He was going to have to call them and find out in the morning. 

He read until his eyes began to feel heavy, closing the laptop he rolled over and turned off the light. Getting comfortable, he closed his eyes. As he drifted off, he heard light snoring coming from the end of the bed as the Doctor's body gave into exhaustion as well.


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor woke up with a start. Forgetting where he was for a moment, he pulled his arms, jolting them painfully. The pain caused him to cry out and he felt tears filling his eyes. The last two days came rushing back to him and he remembered that he was tied to the end of Jack's bed in the human's room. All he wanted to do was go back to his TARDIS and get off of this planet before crawling into bed as she soothed him to sleep. Reaching out his mind he could barely feel her expect as a small whisper in his head. He felt the tears slide down his cheeks as he wondered if he would ever see her again. Feeling hopeless, he squirmed on the blanket trying to find a comfortable way to lay again. Though the blanket was soft, it wasn't his blanket and it smelled of the human. He couldn't stop the sob the escaped him, followed by another a moment later. He tried to stop himself, telling himself he was a Time Lord and above such things. It didn't work as he was tired, hungry, cold, afraid and above all miserable.

"Are you alright?" Jack wondered as he was woken up by the sound of someone crying. The noise was quickly muffled, but still Jack was sure of what he heard. He leaned over turning on the light before getting out of bed. The alien was still laying there with tears in his brown eyes. Jack knelt down and caressed the side of his head. The Doctor pulled away from him and stared wearily at Jack's hand. Jack let it drop as he didn't move away.

"I know this is hard, the first night always is." Jack glanced at the clock. It read that it was only three in the morning. He still had three hours before he was normally up for work. He sighed, it was too early to get up and he felt bad about leaving the man tied up at the end of the bed when he was so miserable. He sat down on the ground near him, every once in a while reaching out to caress his head once or twice as he sobbed. Finally, the Doctor got himself under control again.

"Do you want a glass of water?" Jack questioned him. The Doctor barely moved his head in a nod. Jack smiled just happy he got a reply at last. "I will be right back." Standing he left the Doctor alone in the room again. What the Doctor really wanted was a nice hot cup of tea. It was one of the few pleasures that the humans had given the universe when they finally left Earth. The other one that he cared about were bananas. He had discovered a single banana during his early travels and he quickly went on to plant them in his garden so that he would always have access to the fruit.

Jack returned quickly with a glass of water and a straw. He held it for him as he drank it greedily. It soothed his sore throat filling his empty stomach. Once he was finished, Jack moved it away from him taking it with him and placing it on the bedside table. Turning out the light, Jack crawled back into bed, closing his eyes. The Doctor didn't sleep as lay awake listening to Jack's breathing even out. Jack was confusing him. He had been told all humans were evil slave owners who would stop at nothing to conquer the universe. Jack seemed different then what he expected. Jack had humiliated him by spanking him naked outside, then had given him a blanket to lay on and stayed by him while was upset. He didn't trust Jack, though, and had quickly given up on his earlier plan of being patient. He was going to run away as soon as possible, he just had to get a proper head start.

Jack awoke to the sound of the Doctor snoring softly again. He lay in bed, not quite ready to move yet. Once he did, he was going to have to get the alien up and he knew it was going to be a long day of training him. He knew that the Doctor was stubborn the moment he saw him at the auction house, it was only upon getting him home, though, that Jack began to realize what he got himself into. Laying here wasn't going to help them learn to trust each other and the longer he put it off, the harder it was going to be. Reluctantly, he got out of bed deciding as he did that they should shower before he dressed for the day. Leaning down, he gently shook the alien's shoulder to wake him.

"Time to wake up," Jack cooed softly. The Doctor opened his eyes a crack to look at Jack. Seeing Jack in front of him, he looked down towards his feet, choosing to ignore Jack. "In the morning you will be required to get up and shower. After your shower, we will sit down for breakfast together before I go to work on the weekdays. On the weekends and days like today, we will still have breakfast before I go about my day. Is that understood?" Jack questioned giving him the morning schedule. The Doctor didn't answer. Jack shook his head, leaning down to untie his feet. He removed the shackles before untying his hands from the bedpost.

"Get up and come with me. I am going to help you shower until I can remove the cuffs." The Doctor didn't move. "That's three now get up," Jack told him more sternly. The Doctor still didn't move so Jack hauled him to his feet spanking him once hard on the bottom as he did. The Doctor glared at him. Jack drug him to the shower. The Doctor tried to run, but Jack got in the shower with him, holding him in place as he turned on the water. It was too hot for the Doctor's cooler body temperature, but he refused to open his mouth and tell Jack. Instead, he endured the hot water as Jack used one arm to hold him and the other to shampoo his hair. He grimaced as a cloth was rubbed along his body, including his genitals to clean him. Jack had showered the night before so he rinsed himself quickly before getting out. He dried them both off and then took the Doctor back to his room, forcing him to kneel while he dressed.

"I am making breakfast today. In the future, you will do most of the cooking, but I will cook on occasion as I do enjoy it. If you don't know how to cook I will teach you. I was thinking a nice breakfast of bacon butty's with brown sauce and coffee." The Doctor blinked at him, as his stomach flipped at the thought. Once again he was hauled to his feet and taken downstairs to the kitchen. His arm was beginning to feel bruised from Jack dragging him around, but it was better than listening to him. Jack made breakfast and despite how hungry he was, he refused to eat a single bite and earned two more spankings bringing his total up to five.

Jack was at his wits end with the Doctor as he cleaned up the kitchen. The Doctor remained kneeling beside his chair, where Jack had placed him, but that was as far as he was willing to go to listen. Jack pulled out his cell phone and the paperwork he received last night. He quickly reviewed the medical portion, seeing no comments about whether or not the Doctor could talk. He flipped back to the front and scanned the listed information for a phone number. There were several on there, including one for the training. Jack was beginning to think he would need their help after all, but he wasn't ready to give in yet. Picking up his cell phone he instead dialed the main number to the auction house, he heard it ring several times before someone answered.

"Fremd Auction House, how can I help you?" A woman answered.

"My name is Captain Jack Harkness, I bought a Dyzemra lot number 87529 last night and I was hoping to have a question answered about him," Jack explained.

"One moment while I pull up his information. What did you need to know Captain Harkness?" The lady questioned.

"He hasn't said one word to me since arriving and I can't find anything in his paperwork about him being a mute. I need to know if his vocal cords were examined upon his arrival," Jack asked. It wasn't standard procedure unless they thought there was something wrong with the slave.

"It doesn't say anything here, let me check with Dr. Kass. If it is alright I am going to place you on hold for just a moment." She didn't wait for Jack to reply as the line went to horrible hold music and Jack was forced to wait for her to return. It was about two minutes later before she did. "Captain Harkness?"

"I'm still here," Jack responded.

"Dr. Kass, says that no examination was made. He said that while the Dyzemra did not answer their questions he did vocalize to them on two separate occasions," the girl told him.

"Thank you," Jack responded. He disconnected the call and went over to the Doctor. "I just confirmed you are not a mute but are choosing not to answer me. That stops now when I ask you a question I expect you to answer me," Jack told him trying to be firm. "Now what is your name?"

The Doctor looked Jack square in the eye. Opening his mouth, he saw hope in Jack's eyes that he was finally going to get an answer. The Doctor opened his mouth wider, yawning before he smacked his lips. Jack stared at him a moment.

"Six," Jack said finally finding his voice again.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack liked to think that he was a decent person now. When he was younger, he had made mistakes and for awhile even had been a con man that cost him two years of his life in jail. He had turned himself around, though, and now ran Torchwood in Cardiff with the help of his small team. Their job was to secure alien artifacts that came through the rift and to control the weevil population. In his off time, he had a complicated relationship with Ianto while he enjoyed going to the bar and flirting with men and women alike. In general, he could always seem to charm people. This alien kneeling in front of him was another story. The man seemed immune to his charm and instead stared at him with an anger that seemed to radiate from deep within his brown eyes. 

"I will ask you one more time what your name is before I come up with my own name for you," Jack told him as they continued to stare at each other. The alien's eyes narrowed further at him as his mouth remained closed. "Fine, from now on I am going to refer to you as John and I expect you to answer to it. Now, John, I want you to get up and follow me to the living room." The Doctor continued to stare at him. John wasn't a bad name, but it wasn't his name and he wasn't going to listen to Jack. He refused to move from his spot beside the table. From it he had a clear line of sight to the front door and was waiting for his opportunity to try to run for it again. 

"Get up," Jack snapped irritated. He grabbed the Doctor's arm and pulling him to his feet. As soon as he let go, the Doctor sunk right back onto the floor. Jack growled. Rougher than he meant to he grabbed the Doctor's arm again, twisting it slightly as he pulled him up. The Doctor cried out in pain and Jack immediately released him. Turning he hurried out of the room to the bathroom. He placed both hands on the sink staring down into the sink He couldn't do this. He couldn't hurt John in order to get him to listen. There had to be a better way. The problem was John wasn't giving him a lot of options at the moment. Jack turned on the water. Cupping his hands, he splashed the cold water on his face. As he grabbed the towel, he heard the front door jiggling, indicating that John was trying to escape again. For a second, Jack thought about letting him. He replaced the towel and made it out to the living room as John struggled to find a way to get the chain off. 

"Come with me we need to talk," Jack told him as he took his arm. He pushed the front door closed and turned the lock. He drug the alien into the living room and forced him to kneel on the ground before sitting down on the couch. John stared at the floor, not willing to meet Jack's eyes as he spoke. 

"This needs to end and it needs to end now. It is not even lunch time yet and already you are up to six minor offenses and one major for trying to run away. For each offense, you are going to be spanked five times tonight. That means you are at thirty and I have the feeling that by the time the day is over you are going to be at seventy or more. Therefore, because of your major offense, I am going to spank you thirty-five times now and then we are going to restart the counter," Jack explained to him. The Doctor lifted his head to glare at Jack. Jack sighed. 

"I wish you would stop making me feel as though I am the bad guy because I spank you for not listening. I never wanted to own a slave before. I actually still don't, but I couldn't let anyone else get their hands on you. I have never seen a slave with the fight in their eyes that you have and there are people out there who would take great pleasure in breaking you. Especially because you are a virgin. There are humans who would have bought you and then taken you straight to their beds. They would mar your skin with a switch or anything else they could get their hands on until you screamed at them to stop and then they would keep going until you stopped screaming. They would make you live in fear until they turned you into a shell of your former self and still not be happy," Jack told him seriously. The Doctor's eyes went wide with fear and he couldn't stop the shudder that went through him. 

"I would never hurt you that way or let someone else hurt you like that, but you have to trust me. You have to start listening to me and stop trying to run away. Now I am going to administer your punishment and then you are going to kneel in the corner of the living room until lunch. Is that understood?" Jack asked him. Much to his surprise, he received a small nod from John. He sat back on the couch and patted his legs. The Doctor didn't move, nor did he fight as Jack pulled him off the ground and bent him over his legs. Jack spanked him fast and hard as he tried not to cry out. He counted them in his head, refusing to keep track out loud. Jack spanked him thirty-five times like promised and then stood him up. Without looking at Jack, he walked over to the corner and kneeled facing it. 

Jack took a deep breath running his hands down his face as he watched John go to the corner. His bottom was red and he had tears streaming down his face, but he had listened. There was over an hour until it was lunchtime and then after lunch his training would begin again. Jack hoped that he used this hour to actually think about what Jack told him, rather than just sulk like he had been doing. Leaving the room for a moment, Jack retrieved his laptop from his bed, then returned to the kitchen table to work. While he was gone, John hadn't moved from his place in the corner. It was progress, but Jack had no doubt that they still had a long day ahead of them. 

Opening his laptop, he logged into Torchwood and pulled up the records for the day. The day was relatively slow so far with only one artifact coming through the rift. It had been retrieved and secured for Jack to catalog once he returned to work tomorrow. There were a few reports he needed to sign off on and a request for medicine for the hub from Owen. Jack approved it all then closed the computer. 

Standing up, he picked up the bag that he received last night at the Auction house. Opening it he looked inside to see a folded up brown suit with a blue shirt. He pulled them out and then pulled out a folded up long jacket. The clothes had been taken from John upon his capture and Jack was surprised to see that he had been dress so nicely. Normally slaves wore no clothes at all and if they did dress it was in a pair of basic trousers only. Jack wondered where he got the clothes but looking at them, then looking at the alien he could picture him in them. Jack quickly decided he would offer the clothes as a reward for good behavior. In the meantime, he took them upstairs, placing them in the top of his closet. Returning downstairs one more, he stood at the edge of the couch.

"I am going to order pizza for lunch. When it arrive you are allowed to move to kneel by my chair so that we can eat. If you aren't going to eat, then I suggest you stay there. By staying there though, you are starting at one again for your punishment tally. The choice is yours," Jack told him. He called the pizza place, ordering a large pizza with everything on it and a second small one with just cheese. When the pizza arrived, John continued to kneel in the corner. Jack carried the pizza to the table setting it down. He made himself a cup of coffee and got a glass of water as well. Turning around, he smiled as he saw that the Doctor was now kneeling by his chair. He set the glass of water on the floor and then knelt down beside him. He pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked one side of his handcuffs. John moaned as Jack held his arm pulling it slowly forward. The Doctor stretched his other arm, relieved to no longer have it behind his back. Jack didn't trust him that much yet and so he let him stretch for a moment, before placing him back in the handcuffs, this time in front of him. John glared at him, but he ignored it as he stood and then opened the cheese pizza. Removing a slice he held it out to John. He took it, hanging his head as he held it in his hands. 

"You may eat," Jack said, sitting down at the table. Keeping one eye on John, he picked up his own slice and began to eat as he watched him take a small bite. He chewed it slowly as if he were tasting it for the first time, before taking a larger bite. He continued to eat the one piece slowly as Jack ate over half of his own pizza. Jack didn't push him to eat more as he was just happy that they were finally making progress.


	5. Chapter 5

"I want you to clean up the pizza and then kneel again in the living room until I call for you," Jack told the Doctor once he was done eating. The Doctor didn't move as he continued to stare down at the floor. Jack shook his head. "You must like having a sore bottom because you are already at one again. Now stand up, take the pizza boxes into the kitchen and go and kneel in the corner again." The Doctor got slowly to his feet. Jack watched as the Doctor made his way slowly across the room and knelt down in the corner without ever touching the pizza boxes. "Two," Jack called after him. 

The Doctor didn't care. He wasn't going to fight Jack, but he wasn't going to be his servant either. Jack could clean up after himself and he would kneel in the corner until he figured out how to escape Earth. He didn't look forward to being spanked again, but it sounded a lot better than what Jack had told him about other humans. He had heard the stories of course from the Elders and he only wished that he had believed them then rather than having to live it now. He reached up, scratching his nose. He was relieved to have some use of his hands again, even if they were only handcuffed in front of him. Lowering the cuffs, he studied them. He could easily slip the cuffs if he had his jacket and sonic. He wondered what happened to them. 

He could easily replace his sonic once aboard the TARDIS, she always kept a spare for him, just in case. His psychic paper was easily reacquired and he had plenty of suits to change into. He would miss his coat, though. He had found the coat in a museum that he had gone to in the 43rd century. The coat had been preserved behind glass and was said to have been owned by a human named Janis Joplin. He was sure that the museum wouldn't mind that fact that he had borrowed it and had every intention of returning it one day. Maybe.

"What now," Jack sighed. Pulling it out of his pocket, he was even less happy to see Ianto's work number on his caller ID. He opened the phone and brought it to his ear. "I am supposed to be off today."

"I understand sir, but we have a bit of a situation. The weevils are on the move and we have several injured people," Ianto explained. Jack cursed as he flipped his laptop open again. Reports were pouring in about people being attacked by unknown creatures in the northern park. 

"I'm on my way," Jack told him. He slammed the laptop closed as he looked at the man kneeling in the corner. He couldn't leave him here. If he did, he was positive he would come home to an empty house. He couldn't take him either. Weevils were dangerous at the best of times and if they were on the move because something spooked them, it could get bad quickly. He had to make a decision and quickly. "Come on," Jack growled as he headed to the door and put his coat on. John continued to kneel in the corner ignoring him. Jack stormed over to him, grabbing his arm. 

"Three," He hissed as he pulled him to his feet and drug him out the door. The Doctor struggled harder as they left the house, trying to make his escape again. Jack didn't have time for him, though. He scooped the Doctor up in his arms, carrying him to the SUV. He put him in the back and then grabbed the alien's ankles, shackling them together. He closed the doors, hurrying to the front and getting in. As he slid in the front seat, he saw John struggling to get up over the seat. He was moving quicker with his hands in front of him and Jack made a mental note to put them back behind his back as soon as he stopped again. He peeled out of the driveway, watching as John was thrown backwards. He looked up at Jack with a glare on his face. 

"If you would have stayed where I put you that wouldn't have happened. Now just lay down and relax, we don't have a long drive. Once we get there, you are going to stay in this SUV until I get back. The Weevils are on the move and I don't want you to get hurt," Jack informed him. He watched John role his eyes, then duck down as he laid in the back of the SUV. Jack sped the entire way to the park. As he jumped out of the SUV, he put his ear piece in and began calling orders to his team. Ianto and Gwen were already in the park working and Tosh was ten minutes out. Owen was on his way as well and with the way he drove, would more than likely beat Tosh to the park. Jack was watching the treeline when out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. Turning he felt himself seethe as he saw John hobbling as quickly as he could towards the trees. 

"Not again," He growled. He easily caught up to him. He smacked him once firmly on the bottom before hauling him back to the SUV. He wasn't gentle as he threw him into the back. He unlocked John's handcuffs, threading them through one of the hand grips. He reattached it to John's wrist and then closed the doors. "Ianto to your right," Jack called out as he saw a weevil heading straight towards Ianto. Ianto shot it with the stun gun, taking it down. As he did, Owen went running across the park to assist. A group of weevils was heading straight towards Gwen this time, and Jack didn't stop to think as he took off after them to save her. 

The Doctor watched him running off as he stared out the window of the backseat. He had easily broken the handgrip that Jack attached him to and was waiting for his opportunity to run again. He thought he had been clear last time, but as he stumbled Jack noticed him running. Now, though, Jack was distracted by trying to save that woman from a group of what the human's had called Weevils and he knew as Kafers. They had venom in their bite that was just as toxic to Time Lords as it was to humans and the Doctor had no plans on going near them. Opening the door, he got out of the backseat and took off as quickly as he could towards the trees again. He just needed to reach their safety and then he could hide while he figured out his next move. 

"Where do you think you are going?" Ianto asked as he grabbed the Doctor's arm yanking him back. The Doctor cried out as his arm was wrenched back. He wasn't about to be stopped, though. He collapsed his hands together as he turned as quickly as he could. The movement took Ianto by surprised and the Doctor hit him with his full strength as he turned. Ianto stumbled backwards and he once more started towards the woods. "You're going to pay for that," Ianto hissed. He kicked the Doctor in the back of his knee, causing him to fall forward. He couldn't stop himself as his body jolted into the ground. He cried out again and tried to crawl forward. Ianto put a foot on his lower back, pinning him to the ground. 

"Jack may not have the stomach to punish you properly, but I am going to teach you that you can not hit a human and get away with it. Just be thankful you aren't my slave," Ianto informed him. The Doctor squirmed trying to get away from Ianto, but he couldn't with the way his arms were pinned beneath him. Suddenly pain shot through his body as a leather strap slapped against his bare bottom. He turned his head to see that Ianto had removed his belt and was holding it up to strike him again with. The Doctor looked quickly around the park, desperate to find Jack as the belt landed again. 

Jack wasn't paying attention to what was going on on the other side of the park as he tried to stop a man from bleeding to death that had been bitten by a weevil. Jack applied pressure to the bite as Owen tended to the man medically. The man cried out in pain as Owen tied a tourniquet tightly around his arm to try to stop the bleeding. 

"You're going to be alright," Jack tried to reassure the man. The man would more than likely lose his arm, but Jack was sure he was going to live. 

"Jack." He looked up as an unfamiliar voice called out to him. He looked at Owen. 

"Did you hear that?" Jack asked. Owen nodded as they both heard his name called again. With the tourniquet in place Jack released the pressure he was placing on the man's arm and stood up. "Get off of him," Jack called out upon seeing Ianto standing with one foot on the Doctor's back and his belt in his hand. He took off running towards the two of them as Ianto stepped back. Jack seethed, seeing red strap marks on John's bottom. 

"You had no right to punish him," Jack yelled at Ianto, as he picked John up off the ground, helping him to kneel.

"He tried to run away and then hit me. You're lucky it was me he hit and not an officer. If he had you could be facing a severe fine and he could be on his way to a retraining facility as we speak," Ianto snipped back at him. 

"He is still my charge and I will punish him as I see fit," Jack argued back. He ran his hand soothingly through the alien's hair as he stayed close to him trembling. He couldn't fire or suspend Ianto for his actions. They would be seen as a justifiable punishment and be quickly dismissed. He could though put Ianto on secretary duties for the next week or so and no one would question it.

"Do you want my advice, sir? Train him the best you can, don't touch him, just train him. Then next month at the auction put him in it and sell him. You will get your money back and then some if you can prove he is trained and still a virgin," Ianto explained to Jack. Jack glared at him.

"I'll consider it," He growled at Ianto. He had already made his decision the moment he had looked into John's brown eyes, though. John wasn't going anywhere and Jack was going to train him, even if it killed him in the process. "Go and help the others finish with the weevils. I will be right there."

"Sir?" Ianto started. 

"Now," Jack snapped. He didn't pay Ianto any more attention as he turned and looked down at John. "With me," He told him, starting forward. John followed him to the SUV and Jack once more opened the back. He didn't have to order John to get in as he climbed into the back and laid down. Jack picked the broken handle up off of the floor and threw it out of the vehicle. He was trembling and Jack took a deep breath, followed by another as he tried not to do something he was going to regret later. 

"Don't you dare move until I get back," Jack seethed. He closed the doors and then looked around the park, assessing the situation. He kept one eye on the SUV as he headed back to the weevils. Regardless of what just happened he still had work to do.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor lay shivering in the back of the SUV. His bottom and thighs hurt from where Ianto had hit him with the belt several times before Jack finally stopped him. He had taken a risk, calling out to Jack to save him, but at least Jack had come through. He still didn't trust the human in the slightest, though. He was still going to runaway the first opportunity he got. Hours had past since his second failed escape and Jack was no longer watching the SUV intently. Instead, there was a young woman sitting in front of the SUV watching it as she worked on a laptop. Everyone once in awhile The Doctor glanced up to see if she was still there. The last time he looked she had fixated a camera on to her laptop that was monitoring the SUV for her. He had growled in frustration as he laid his head back down.

He could get out of here. He had been trapped in worst situations and still found a way to escape. All he needed to do was to get to his TARDIS and he would be free. He reached his mind out to her and felt the slight whisper as she brushed against his, calming him. Relief filled him that she hadn't been moved. He had hidden her in an abandoned construction site, deep in their basement. It was unlikely she would be found due to her chameleon arch. People tended to ignore the TARDIS and walk by her. Even if she was found there was no way they could get inside her doors without a key or drive her without him. She was safe, and just waiting for him to return.

He looked up again as the front door to the SUV opened. Jack got in. He was filthy and covered with blood. He glanced into the rearview mirror and for just a moment their eyes met. The Doctor narrowed his own eyes as he sat up further.

"Lay down. You are in enough trouble as it is," Jack hissed at him. Jack slammed his hand against the steering wheel causing the Doctor to jump. "I said lay down." The Doctor reluctantly listened to Jack, not wanting to find out what would happen if he didn't. The SUV started and the two of them made the short trip back to Jack's home. Jack got out of the front. Going around to the back, he opened the door and grabbed the Doctor's arm, pulling him roughly out of the SUV. He kept his grip on his arm tight as he drug him up to the house and opened the front door. The grip wasn't released as he was taken up the stairs and forced to lay down on the blanket at the end of the bed. His hands were cuffed behind his back before once again he was tied to the bed post before Jack disappeared.

The Doctor didn't see Jack again as the hours continued to pass. He could hear movement in the house and smelled dinner cooking, but Jack never came and got him to eat. He struggled to get the rope untied, he couldn't get a grip on it though as Jack seemed to know what he was doing when it came to knots. Night fell and the room grew dark. He waited fearing what was going to happen to him when Jack finally came to bed. Only he never did. The night passed as he lay there. Eventually, he heard snoring coming from downstairs, but that was his only indication that Jack was still in the house. He didn't sleep as he thought of all the ways that Jack could punish him. He also feared that Jack was going to take him back to the auction house like Ianto suggested. If that happened there was a good chance that he would end up with someone like Ianto. The thought of someone or something using his body for their own pleasure terrified him. Time Lords were not sexual beings and for as far back he had been taught as far back as he remembered that he was to ignore the sins of the flesh in order to better his mind.

Somehow morning came. He had to have fallen asleep at one point, because he closed his eyes when it was still dark and opened them after the sun had risen. The smell of bacon and coffee filled the house, yet once more he was not invited to partake of the meal. He couldn't help but wonder if Jack was going to leave him tied up until he died of starvation. That was hard to accomplish as a Time Lord, but Jack didn't know his true species and the Doctor never planned on telling him. Eventually, though, he heard the sound of Jack coming up the stairs again.

"I've been thinking all night on what to do with you," Jack explained as he entered the room. Jack smelled like stale whiskey and he was still in his pajamas. "Ianto's right, I should just place you back in the auctions and get my money back. It is obvious that I have no idea how to train you and you have no intention of listening to me. Tell me I am wrong." He paused as he knelt down to look the Doctor in the eyes. The Doctor kept his mouth shut as he glared at Jack. "That's what I thought."

"Ianto had no right to take a belt to you yesterday, but in the same regard you had no right to hit him. You could have gotten both of us in a lot of trouble yesterday for your actions. I have ever right to spank you until your bottom is so red and sore that you can't sit down right." Jack untied him from the bed and held on tightly to his arm as he brought him around it. He sat down on the bed, before forcing the Doctor to bend over his lap. He placed his hand on the Doctor's back to hold him in place. The Doctor trembled, fighting Jack to get loose, afraid of what Jack was going to do to him. He yelped as the first swat fell and continued to fight as Jack spanked him.

"You're just making this harder on yourself by fighting me," Jack informed him as he spanked him fifteen times total, then stopped. The Doctor was confused by the fact that he was only punished for the three offenses from yesterday that Jack had counted. He waited for the next slap, but it didn't come. Jack helped him to his feet and he stared down at the man. Jack could see the confusion in his eyes. "Do you want me to keep punishing you?" The Doctor shook his head no. "Then you need to shower and then come downstairs with me. I have to go to work in a little while and you are coming with me."

The Doctor was led to the shower and Jack made him get in it. Rather than getting in with him, his left hand was released from the cuffs, then his right arm was attached to the safety grab bar that was in the shower. The Doctor was left alone to clean himself up. He quickly assessed the bathroom once Jack was gone. There was only a small window and he wouldn't be able to fit out of it. The only other exit was into the house. Frustrated, he turned on the cold water first. He drank his fill from the faucet, then turned on the hot water until the temperature was correct. He took his time washing, just enjoying the feeling of the cool water on his skin.

"Time's up," Jack announced coming into the room. The Doctor glanced at him but didn't move to turn off the water. Jack reached into the shower and turned the water off, then unlocked the cuffs. His hands were reattached to each other in front of his body once more. He was forced downstairs by Jack and made to kneel by the table where he was presented with water and toast. He picked up the piece of toast, eating it only because he needed to keep his strength up and not to please Jack. He really didn't care if he made Jack late for work. In his opinion, Jack was no better than Ianto, even if he pretended to be.

Much to the Doctor's relief, he was given a simple pair of black trousers to wear when going to Torchwood. The trousers obviously had belonged to Jack as they were too large for the Doctor's skinny frame. Jack dug a belt out of his closet, then had to make an additional notch in it to secure it correctly around the Doctor's waist. He was going to have to buy the Doctor a pair of trousers if he planned to take him into Torchwood with him as he had made the rule that slaves had to wear at least trousers in the building when Ianto began bringing his to help with the work. Jack found their naked bodies distracting and reluctantly made the decision due to workplace safety. Once the Doctor was dressed, Jack looked for the collar to reattach to the Doctor's neck. The Doctor though had taken it off while he laid in the back of the SUV and had no intention of telling Jack where it was. He instead stared at Jack as he was threatened with another punishment for not telling Jack where the collar was located. The thought didn't bother him as he narrowed his eyebrows and continued to stare. Finally, Jack had no choice but to give up looking or else he risked being even later than he already was for work. 

The drive to Torchwood was relatively short and soon they were getting out of the SUV. The Doctor looked around the plaza as they walked across it. There was a dock with water on one side and a tall building that stood over Torchwood on the other. It was a beautiful place and in other circumstances he might have enjoyed the view. Right now all he did was look for places to hide and routes to escape if he did get the chance to run. He quickly spotted four cameras watching the plaza and realized that it would be next to impossible to run from this location. His best bet was still Jack's house or while they were in transit. That gave him an idea, it would hurt, but as long as he didn't break either of his legs he should be fine. Jack held his arm as they walked into a building labeled visitor center. There was a slave wearing a black leather collar and khaki trousers kneeling in the room, he jumped to his feet as soon as they entered. 

"Good morning sir," He told Jack as he rushed to open the door for them. The Doctor watched him with disgust as the slave opened what looked like a vault door. Jack didn't think him, nor did he break his stride as the two of them went through the door and down a set of stairs into the sewers. There were several people working in the room and several over slaves were going about performing various task. Two of the slaves were dressed in the same attire as the one out front. The third slave was a young female and dressed in a simple blue dress with a matching blue collar. Her long brown hair was plaited down her back and she was serving drinks to the occupants. As Jack entered, she rushed over with a cup of coffee offering it to him. 

"I thought she was going to your sister for a present Ianto," Jack commented as he took the cup from her. 

"I have decided to keep her. I have been looking to breed Hotchkiss and she is the right age for it." The Doctor couldn't help the growl that escaped his throat at Ianto's words. Ianto narrowed his eyes at him but continued. 

"Have you applied to have a fourth slave, you know the rules that the max amount of slaves you can have without a permit is three?" Jack questioned. Ianto nodded. 

"I was given permission to keep her and one of her off spring," Ianto answered. Jack pulled the Doctor closer to Ianto with him. He sat down in the chair next to Ianto and forced the Doctor to kneel next to him. 

"I'm sorry about what happened with John yesterday. I would like to make it up to you if you're interested," Jack flirted. Ianto couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. 

"What were you thinking?" He questioned. 

"Dinner on the water, then we go back to my place and see what the night brings," Jack informed him. Ianto nodded. 

"I'd like that," He told Jack. He leaned in and the two of them kissed. 

"Three," Jack whispered against Ianto's lips as the Doctor made a gagging noise. Bored with them, the Doctor turned his attention the machine in the middle of the room. He was easily able to follow the code that one of the female employees was working on. His frown deepened as he came to the conclusion that the machine controlled a rift. The humans had no right to be messing with a rift in time and spaces. If they opened it the consequences could be catastrophic. The code he was reading, while intelligent and far beyond its time, was still not good enough to control the rift completely. The Doctor wanted to study the rift more, but he knew that would be impossible without giving away who he really was and what he knew. Not that it mattered to these humans. He was positive they never heard of a Time Lord but the longer he played dumb the easier it would be to escape from Jack in the end. He was startled from his thoughts by a hand on his arm. 

"Come on. We are going up to my office," Jack informed him. He was pulled to his feet and together they made their way up a set of stairs to a small office. The office was littered with paperwork. The Doctor scanned it, reading it quickly. Most of what he could see were reports on weevil activity or request for supplies. There was one paper about an item that had come through the rift. The item had been labeled dangerous, but he wasn't able to read the rest of the report as it was covered with papers. He willingly knelt down by Jack's desk, where he could still keep his eyes on the computer. The humans didn't use much security around their slaves and the Doctor deduced from it that the slaves couldn't read. He may have been wrong, but the probability was high. He doubted that the humans took much time to educate their slaves beyond what they wanted them to do and therefore were lax when it came to having one in the room. 

The Doctor looked on as Jack pulled out a securely locked box. Jack unlocked the box with one of his many keys that he kept on an overfilled key ring. The Doctor watched as Jack carefully opened the box and removed a small circular object. He examined the disk with great care, turning it over in his hands. The disk was large and had three holes in it. Along the edges was a writing that he couldn't read, but the Doctor could read even without the TARDIS translating it. *Sirens Intergalactic bank.* It really wasn't intergalactic as the bank only served the people in the Andromeda system. 

"It looks like a button of some sort," Jack said quietly. The Doctor couldn't stop the snicker that escaped. Jack looked at him and the Doctor quickly bit the laugh back, hanging his head to hide his smile. Jack stared at him a moment, then turned back to the artifact. He cataloged as a button belonging to clothing and then locked it away. The rest of the day was fairly borning as the Doctor continued to kneel beside the desk. Others came and went from the office, but the Doctor didn't pay them any attention. When he felt he could get away with it, he watched Jack's computer screen. Jack wasn't on it most of the time as he signed off on reports and filled paperwork. When he was on it, it was to communicate with other Torchwood locations. In the afternoon, he took a call from his boss about the new budget and the Doctor used that time to plan his escape. 

He could still feel the whisper of the TARDIS in his mind and as long as he could feel her, he could find her. He could tell that she was somewhere to the north of him and as long as he headed north he would be able to get to her. He just had to stay to the shadows and the less populated areas. If at all possible he had to avoid humans, especially the ones who could scan the chip in his neck. It wouldn't be that hard would it? 

The time came to go back to Jack's home. He put up a small fight as he was forced back in to the SUV but it was more for show than anything else. He couldn't let Jack suspect what was going on and the back of the SUV was exactly where he wanted to be. He heard Jack get in then the SUV start. Soon they were on their way and he was one step closer to freedom. The Doctor lifted his head as much as he dared to look out of the window. There were businesses on either side of them and the businesses had side streets. He just had to get to one of them and he could be free. He glanced up at Jack and saw that he had his eyes on the road still. The Doctor scooted closer to the back doors. He kept one eye on Jack as he turned so that his back was to the doors. As slowly as possible, he felt along the doors until he found the handle. The SUV was beginning to speed up and it was now or never. With one eye on Jack still, he took a deep breath and tried to prepare himself. Regardless of what else happened, this was going to hurt. Without warning he threw the door open, rolling his body with it. He hit the ground hard and his vision temporarily went black as he felt pain shoot through his body, especially his arm and his head. Tires screeched to a halt around him. He didn't focus on them as he got to his feet and stumbled away from the road. 

-DW-

Jack was focused on getting home and getting ready for his date with Ianto. He had his eyes on the road, not paying that close of attention to the alien in the back of the SUV. He realized his mistake too late as the back of his SUV opened and he watched in horror as John fell out. He slammed on his breaks screeching to a stop as the car behind them swerved to avoid hitting him. Jack jumped out of the SUV, heading quickly around it as John got to his feet. He had a gash on his forehead where he had hit the pavement and his right arm was streaked with blood, gravel digging into it. John stumbled towards the side of the road, his movements unsteady. 

"John," Jack called out taking off after him. 

"Let me go," The Doctor snapped forgetting that he wasn't going to speak to Jack. His head was pounding and he felt dizzy. He desperately wanted to go home to his TARDIS. Jack though was in his way and he wasn't going to stand for that anymore. 

"I can't John. You're hurt. I need to get you back to Torchwood so that Owen can tend to your wounds," Jack informed him feeling conflicted. On one hand, he was furious that John had thrown himself out of the back of the SUV. On the other hand, he was concerned about his slave and wanted to make sure he was alright. He was going to take John back to Torchwood, clean him up and assess his injuries. After John was healed, he would spank him until his bottom was bright red if that is what it took him to listen. John struggled weakly as they started towards the SUV, but he went limp in Jack's arms before they reached it. Jack opened the door to the backseat, laying him across it. Getting into the front, he turned the SUV around and sped back towards Torchwood.


	7. Chapter 7

Jack made it back to Torchwood in record time. Running around the side of the SUV, he picked John carefully up in his arms and carried him into the building. He had to let himself into the building, as Ianto had already gone home with his slaves. Owen and Tosh were both working late today and Jack was thankful they had projects to finish. He rushed past Tosh on his way down to the autopsy room. As gently as he could, he laid John down on the table and turned to look for Owen.

"Owen, I need your help," Jack called out. The door to the lab opened and Owen came out of it. He took one look at John and his eyes narrowed in concern.

"What happened," He asked as he came around the side of the table. He grabbed a pair of gloves from the box near the table and pulled them on.

"He threw himself out of the back of the SUV trying to escape," Jack explained. Owen picked up a cloth and placed it to the Doctor's arm to trying to stop the bleeding. "He got up after and stumbled around a bit before he passed out."

"I can help him but I need to know what species he is so that I can medicate him properly," Owen explained.

"His paperwork says he is a Dyzemra," Jack responded. Owen looked up at him with his eyes narrowed.

"And you believed that?" Owen questioned.

"Of course not. There is no way he is a Dyzemra. They are stockier and his eyes are brown, not golden. I think the only thing he has in common with them is a cooler body temperature and the two hearts," Jack told Owen. Owen nodded his agreement.

"That doesn't help m, though, and I am not going to tend or stitch his wounds without him being properly medicated before hand. We will just have to wait until he wakes up and then ask him what his species is," Owen told Jack. "In the meantime I am going to start cleaning up his arm. He is going to need stitches in both his head and his arm at the least. Can you please unlock his hands so that I can tend to his arm properly?"

Jack pulled out the key and unlocked the Doctor's right arm. He left the cuff around his other wrist, attaching it to the bed so that the Doctor couldn't run when he woke up. Owen was gentle as he used saline to gently wash out the cut on the Doctor's arm. It was deep and full of gravel from falling out of the SUV. As Owen worked the Doctor started to come around. He moaned, pulling at his arm half-heartedly trying to get it away from the pain Owen was causing him.

"Easy," Owen cooed. He immediately stopped what he was doing. He held the Doctor's arm steady to keep him from behind able to pull it away. "You hurt yourself jumping out of the back of the SUV. You are in Torchwood and I need to know your species so that I can medicate you properly." The Doctor opened his eyes a little to look at Owen but didn't speak.

"You're wasting your time. He never answers me. In fact, today was the first time I heard him talk and he told me to let him go," Jack informed Owen. The Doctor turned his eyes to Jack and then back to Owen. He looked down at his arm and saw black streaks on it with gravel in the cuts indicating that he had tried and failed to run away again. His head was hurting him and he remembered his plan to try to escape from the SUV, but he didn't remember actually trying to follow through with it.

"I don't want to stitch you up without being properly numbed. Can you please tell me what species you are so I can properly tend you your arm and head?" Owen questioned. The Doctor took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He really didn't trust humans but in order to have his arm tended to and not end up regenerating, he was going to have to talk to this one.

"I am allergic to aspirin," The Doctor finally told Owen. Owen nodded. He went to the medicine cabinet and came back with a small bottle of an anesthetic. He brought the bottle and a syringe back to beside the bed. Jack watched as the Doctor stared at the bottle and he at first thought that he was watching Owen fill the syringe, then he realized that he was actually reading the bottle.

"You can read," Jack told him in surprise. The Doctor didn't answer him.

"Sharp scratch," Owen warned the Doctor before piercing his skin with the needle. Jack sat down beside the Doctor and took his left hand as Owen injected him several times with the local anesthetic. The Doctor's other hand tightened into a tight fist as he was injected and he was secretly thankful for the hand to hold as the injections hurt. Jack continued to hold his hand after Owen finished and then prepared the suture kit while he waited for the anesthetic to take effect.

"Since you seem to be in a talking mood now, do you want to tell me what your name is?" Jack questioned. The Doctor rolled his eyes to look at Jack. "Okay, then how about you tell me instead why you keep trying to escape."

"No," The Doctor replied finally. He moved his eyes back to watch as Owen started to clean the gravel out of his arm. His head was still hurting him and he closed his eyes as Owen worked. He heard Jack get on the phone and an apology to Ianto that he would be late for their date tonight, but a promise that he would still be there. When he opened them again, Jack was still sitting by his side and he had been covered with a thick cotton blanket. His arm was wrapped with a thin white bandage and was in a sling to keep him from being able to use it. His head was still pounding and he just wanted to close his eyes again. Unfortunately, Jack saw that he was awake.

"Here take a drink." Jack pushed a straw against his lips and he took a drink of the cool water. Jack sounded irritated with him and a glance at Jack's watch indicated it was after nine in the evening. He had been asleep for about four hours and Jack had missed his date. The Doctor didn't care. He tried to sit up a little and found that his arm was attached to the bed. At the moment, he didn't care as once more he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

-DW-

"Ow," The Doctor moaned as he woke again. His arm burned as if someone was holding a red-hot iron to it and his head was pounding. He was too hot underneath the blanket and he tried to kick it off of himself. He managed to get his leg out of the blanket and the coldness of the air made him shiver. He moaned again as he forced his eyes open. The autopsy room was completely dark except for a small light near the bed. Looking around the room he found that he was alone. Normally he would have been happy to find that the human's had left him alone, but he needed painkillers, a drink and to sleep more. He also couldn't free his left hand from the bed with his right arm injured.

"Owen," He called out softly. He waited a moment, ready to call again, but the door to the main hub opened and Jack came down the stairs. He was wearing just a pair of trousers. In his hands, there was a bottle of water along with a small plate of food.

"I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all night," Jack commented as he approached the bed. With Jack close, he could see that Jack's body glistened with sweat. The smell of his hormones filled the room and the Doctor guessed that his date with Ianto hadn't been canceled after all. He watched as Jack set the food down on the table beside the bed before he uncapped the bottle of water, offering it to the Doctor. The Doctor took a long drink of it, then turned his head away to show he didn't want anymore. Jack set it down on the table next to the food. The Doctor glanced at the meal. It was a simple meal of a piece of chicken with noodles and bread. It looked good, but he wasn't hungry. He turned to look at Jack again as Jack continued to stand over him.

"Owen?" The Doctor asked Jack softly.

"I sent him home for the night," Jack responded. The Doctor felt his eyes fill with tears at the thought that he was going to have to wait for morning for painkillers. Yes, he was a Time Lord and yes, he should have been able to control his pain, but he was too tired and his head hurt too much to even consider it. He wasn't even sure if anyone outside of Owen would even care enough to give him medication. Owen seemed to genuinely care whether or not his patients were hurting while he wasn't as sure Jack cared. Still he found himself leaning into the touch as Jack gently ran his hand down the side of his head.

"Do you need more pain medication?" Jack wondered. The Doctor nodded feebly, letting himself hope that Jack would provide the necessary medication. "I can get it for you, but I want you to use your voice and ask me."

"Please, Jack," The Doctor begged. Jack smiled as he moved away from the bed. He went to the cabinet and pulled out a small bottle of liquid and a new syringe. Coming back to the Doctor's bed, he handed him the bottle.

"Can you take this?" Jack questioned. The Doctor glanced at the bottle, recognizing the name of the medication as one that was safe for him. It wouldn't help with the pain as much as one of his own medications from the TARDIS would, but he wasn't about to tell this human where she was located. He would rather suffer with no pain relief, then to let them get their hands on her.

"Yes," he responded after a moment. Jack took the bottle back from him and started to fill the syringe.

"Who taught you how to read?" Jack questioned. The Doctor didn't answer him. Jack didn't need to know about the academy or anything else that identified who he really was. Jack wasn't surprised that yet again John didn't answer him. He wasn't going to deny John the medication he needed because he chose to ignore him, however, he was more determined than ever to get answers from him. "Alright, let's try an easier question. What is your name?" Once again the Doctor refused to answer. Jack shrugged. He finished filling the syringe with the medication. Then, rather than give the Doctor the injection he needed, he capped the syringe placing it in his trouser's pocket. He turned his back on John heading to the medicine cabinet. The Doctor watched him, growing more desperate as Jack put the bottle away before turning to the stairs that led up in the hub. He was about halfway up them before the Doctor gave in.

"My name is the Doctor," he called out. Jack paused on the stairs.

"They call you the Doctor?" Jack asked.

"Yes," The Doctor replied. Jack turned to head back down the stairs. He didn't have to be close to the Doctor's bed to see the anger in his eyes that Jack had forced him to reveal his name.

"Sharp prick," Jack warned. He injected the medication into the Doctor's left arm. The Doctor closed his eyes as he waited for the medication to help dull the pain that he was feeling. With it he felt as if he could breathe easier and though his head still hurt, it was a little less clouded due to the pain relief. He took a deep breath, followed by another before he dared to open his eyes. When he did he saw that Jack was still standing near him. "Is that better?"

"Yes," The Doctor sighed.

"Are you hungry now?" Jack wondered. The Doctor looked at the plate of food again. With the pain dulled he realized he was actually hungry. All he had to eat yesterday was the small bit of toast that Jack had given him for breakfast. He nodded. "Even with your arm hurt, I don't trust you not to run away. I am going to send one of Ianto's slaves down to feed you your dinner," Jack explained. He didn't say another word before turning and heading up the stairs. A moment later the young female hurried down the stairs. She stood next to the Doctor's bed and picked up the plate of food.

"I'm sorry they woke you to feed me," The Doctor whispered. She smiled briefly at him as she scooped up a little of the noodles and chicken onto the fork. She offered the bite to him and he took it. "What is your name?" He asked as he chewed.

"Hazel," She replied, her voice softer than the Doctor expected. The Doctor studied her a moment as he took another bite. In his head, he was quickly ruling out and narrowing down aliens to determine her species. She looked human and at first glance he would have thought she was one. She was tall and skinny with long brown hair and brown eyes. It was the cat like irises, sharp teeth and the pointed ears that gave away the fact that she wasn't born on Earth. Well at least her ancestors weren't.

"You're a Koteshki," The Doctor told her at last. She nodded her agreement as she offered the Doctor another bite of his meal. He tried to remember if Hotchkiss had the same features, but at the moment he couldn't concentrate. He had to be a Koteshki too, though, if Ianto was planning on breeding the two of them. Unless they were a compatible species, because it was possible that humans were trying to breed a better slave. The Doctor doubted Ianto was that intelligent, though. "Did you come to earth or were you born here?" He wondered.

"Hush now. We must not talk to each other without permission," Hazel chastised him as he looked to the door. The Doctor ate the rest of his meal quietly even though he was dying to question her more about her life as a slave on Earth. When he finished, she took the plate and left the room, leaving him alone once more in the autopsy room. With a full stomach and his arm a dull ache, the Doctor couldn't stop himself from drifting off to sleep once more.


	8. Chapter 8

-Hours earlier-

Jack sat by the Doctor's side as he slept from the anesthetic that Owen had administered in order to stich his head and clean out as well as suture his arm. It was only supposed to be a local anesthetic, yet the Doctor had fallen asleep as soon as Owen began to work on his head. The cut to his head looked worse than it was because of the blood and Owen was able to glue it shut without having to suture it. The damage done to his arm, however, was extensive and he wasn't able to close it completely because of the skin missing in some places. Owen did the best he could, though, trying to minimize the scarring associated with his injury. He wiped the Doctor's arm down with an antiseptic solution to prevent infection. He then wrapped the Doctor's arm in a long white bandage before placing it in a sling. 

"He needs to wear the sling for at least a week. I would like you to minimize his duties during that time so that his arm can heal correctly," Owen informed Jack. Even though, he had a slave of his own at his home to tend to his day to day cleaning and make his meals, he was always a doctor first when it came to tending to his patients regardless of whether or not they were humans or slaves. 

"That would suggest that I can get him to listen to me," Jack scoffed. Owen smiled. 

"I am sure you can get him to listen. You just have to give him time. There are also several groups that you can go to that will help you train him," Owen told him.

"I will consider it," Jack responded, though, he had no intention to sign John up for any classes. He had trained people before to work in Torchwood and he was positive that he could train John on his own, no matter how stubborn he was. Owen cleaned up while Jack covered John with a thick white blanket to make him comfortable. Under the blanket and asleep, he looked peaceful. Jack gently stroked the hair back on his head then picked up his phone again. He sent Ianto a message saying that he was staying at Torchwood until the Doctor woke up and would let him know when he was available. As the hours passed, he became more and more agitated at the alien. 

"Here take a drink," Jack snipped when he saw the Doctor was finally awake. It was just about four hours later and it was too late to even consider going on a date with Ianto tonight. Jack had been looking forward to a relaxing night with him followed by a long slow bout of lovemaking. John had ruined that when he decided to jump out of the SUV. 

John took a drink of the cool water and then tried to sit up. His arm was still attached to the bed though and Jack wasn't about to let him loose. Thankfully he didn't struggle long before drifting off to sleep once more. Once he was asleep again, Jack headed up the stairs to try to get work done. He had just settled into the chair in front of the rift manipulator when the door to the hub and Ianto entered with three of his slaves. Each of them was carrying a bag of groceries and in his hands, he had a bottle of wine. 

"Ianto!" Jack exclaimed happily upon seeing him. "What brings you here?"

"I figured if you were unable to leave the hub for a date, I would bring the date to you," Ianto informed him. 

"I like the sound of that. Let me send Owen home and then we will have the hub to ourselves," Jack replied. It took a little convincing to get Owen to leave but eventually he did with the promise that Jack would medicate John again once he woke up. Jack promised, though, he had his mind focused on Ianto. As the slaves cooked them dinner, Jack bent Ianto over the table in the hub and had his way with him. The gentle lovemaking he had planned became carnal as they both chased after a much-needed release. Afterwards, he didn't miss Ianto's wince as he collapsed back into the chair. 

"Did I hurt you?" Jack wondered in concern. 

"A little," Ianto responded. Jack opened his arms wide and Ianto climbed into them, sitting partly on Jack's lap. They kissed softly as Jack ran his hands down Ianto's back, apologetic for hurting him. 

"Dinner is ready sir," Hotchkiss announced as they broke their kiss. 

"Thank you. We will be eating in here," Ianto responded. Hotchkiss left and returned a moment later with two plates filled with chicken and noodles. There was also bread and salad to go with it. 

"This looks very good," Jack told Ianto. Ianto tried to get off his lap, but Jack held him there playfully as he picked up his fork. He fed Ianto a bite of the meal, before taking a bite of his own. His eyes glanced over to the monitor to check on John, a move that Ianto didn't miss. 

"If one of my slaves pulled the stunt he did today, I would have them locked down in the basement, not resting comfortably on a bed. That is your problem with John, Jack, you are too easy on him. He is never going to respect or listen to you unless you put your foot down and quickly with him," Ianto explained. Jack glanced at Ianto. 

"I have the feeling that he is never going to listen to me period," Jack responded. 

"I can train him for you if you would like. I can guarantee I would have him listening to me within the day," Ianto offered.

"No, I will train him," Jack declined. He knew of Ianto's training methods and he didn't agree with them. If it were up to Ianto, not only would John be recovering in the basement, as soon as he was awake again he would be up and cleaning or taking care of his duties rather than recovering like he needed to. 

"Let me know if you change your mind," Ianto responded. 

"I will," Jack told him, even if he had no intention to. They finished eating and their plates were cleared. Ianto moved out of Jack's lap and dropped to his knees between Jack's legs. Jack found his release quickly once more. He was just getting ready to reciprocate when he heard John call out Owen's name.

"I have to go check on him," Jack informed Ianto, pulling away. Ianto was upset by the movement, but Jack was already halfway across the hub, calling for Hotchkiss to bring down another plate of noodles as he pulled his trousers on. Hotchkiss met him at the stairs with the food and a bottle of water. Jack took them from him then headed down the stairs to John.

"I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all night," Jack informed him as he entered the room. John looked disappointed to see him as he had been hoping for Owen. Jack ignored the look, though, as he set the food down on the table. Close to John it was clear to see the bruising that was developing where he had hit his head. His right eye was swollen along the top and if it went any lower it was going to affect his vision. Jack opened the water and offered John a drink. He took a long sip of it before turning his head away from the bottle. Jack put the lid back on and then set it beside the food. 

"Owen?" John asked again hopefully. 

"I sent him home for the night," Jack explained to him. He saw the tears fill John's eyes. Reaching out he gently stroked the side of John's head, feeling John lean into his touch. He had to be feeling pretty miserable to actually be seeking comfort from Jack. Jack continued the soft movement for a moment. "Do you need more pain medication," He asked as he comforted him. He felt John nod feebly against his hand. 

"I can get it for you, but I want you to use your voice and ask me," Jack told him sternly. He didn't expect John to reply but was pleasantly surprised when he did. 

"Please, Jack," John begged him. Jack stopped stroking his head to go and get him the pain medication he needed. It was one that Owen said that John could take and even though he trusted Owen, he wanted to see if he was right about John being able to read. He handed John the bottle, asking if he could take it. Sure enough, John read the bottle then informed Jack he could as he handed it back. Jack filled the syringe with the correct dosage as he questioned who had taught John to read. Not receiving an answer, he decided to once more try for John's name. 

"Alright, let's try an easier question. What is your name?" He asked him. He wasn't surprised when John didn't answer him, but he had the advantage this time, as he had something that John needed. Pocketing the syringe, he headed to the stairs as he listened for John to give in. He made it about halfway up when he heard John reply. 

"My name is the Doctor," John called out frantic that Jack was going to disappear without giving him the injection he desperately needed. 

"They call you the Doctor?" Jack wondered as he paused on the stairs. It was an unusual name for a slave, but then again John wasn't a normal slave. 

"Yes," The Doctor replied. Jack turned to look at him, but it was obvious that John wasn't lying as he seemed panicked by the fact Jack was leaving him and not thinking clearly. Jack came back down the stairs and gave the Doctor the injection of pain killers. He stayed with him making sure there was no adverse reaction as the Doctor closed his eyes. When the Doctor opened them again he seemed calmer than before. "Is that better?"

"Yes," The Doctor answered with a sigh. 

"Are you hungry now?" The Doctor nodded. Rather than feeding John himself, Jack headed back up the stairs sending Hazel down to feed the Doctor instead. He heard their short conversation on the CCTV before Hazel told him they couldn't talk without permission. Jack was disappointed as he was hoping to learn more about the Doctor, still he had once again proven how intelligent he was by figuring out Hazel's race. 

"Ready for bed," Ianto asked kissing on Jack's neck. 

"You're not getting any sleep tonight," Jack informed him as he turned around and wrapped his arms around Ianto. He carried him to the ladder by his room, only setting him down long enough for Ianto to climb down himself. He followed him down, once again taking Ianto into his arms as they tumbled onto the bed. Later, though, as his body moved with Ianto's he found his mind once more drifting to the Doctor laying in the bed in the autopsy room. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have their bodies move as one. He wasn't going to order the Doctor to his bed, but one way or another he was bound and determined to find out.


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor groaned as knuckles dug into his shoulder, trying to rouse him from his sleep. He didn't want to wake up, not yet. He had been having a peaceful dream where he was back on the TARDIS traveling the universe. He didn't have a companion, nor did he have a set place he wanted to go. Instead, he had set the controls to random and was letting the TARDIS show him the stars. He would have given almost anything to open his eyes to find himself back on her decks, rather than in the cold autopsy room of Torchwood.

"Doctor. Come on now, it is time for you to wake up," Owen cooed as he tried to rouse him. The Doctor was confused for a moment about Owen calling him by his given name before he realized that Jack must have told him. He wasn't sure he was happy about another human knowing his chosen name. There was nothing he could do about it, though, except to accept that Owen knew it and move on.

"Stop it," He moaned at Owen as he tried unsuccessfully to lift his hand and bat Owen's hand away. With his left hand still attached to the bed and his right arm in a sling, there was no chance he was going to be able to slap him unless Owen moved closer. He sighed and shrugged his shoulder trying to get Owen to stop. "Owen," He whined drawing out the word.

"Then open your eyes," Owen told him as he continued to on purposely annoy the Doctor. The Doctor opened his eyes a crack to glare at Owen. "There we go. How are you feeling this morning?" The Doctor growled at him, as he closed his eyes again.

"I am going with cranky," Jack spoke up from his post on the opposite side of the bed. The Doctor forced his eyes open again to specifically glare at Jack. He wouldn't have been cranky if the humans hadn't woke him.

"Are you in any pain?" Owen asked, ignoring Jack's comment. The Doctor thought about it a moment, then nodded. He didn't have to wait for Owen to go to the medicine cabinet as Owen had already prepared a syringe as he expected the Doctor would need painkillers upon waking. He injected them into the Doctor's right shoulder as the Doctor held onto Jack's hand. After, while he waited for them to take effect, he began to examine the Doctor. He made the Doctor crankier as he looked in his eyes, ears, mouth and nose before listening to his lungs and hearts.

"Roll up on your side, I need to take your temperature," Owen instructed the Doctor as he put his stethoscope away. The Doctor stared at him, not about to listen to Owen's instructions and have his temperature taken rectally again. He had already suffered that humiliation once by the doctor at the auction house. The Doctor was quickly realizing he didn't have a choice, though, as Jack removed the blanket and unbuckled his trousers. They were pulled down and off as he kicked his feet trying to keep them on. He was thankful when he was covered once more with the blanket, but the relief didn't last long.

"Come on," Jack sighed as the Doctor continued to refuse to move. He reached over placing one hand on the Doctor's right shoulder and the other on his side. Owen stayed on the other side of the bed placing his hand on the Doctor's back and leg. Together they forced the Doctor to roll up on his side and then Jack held him there. The Doctor tried to fight as Owen lifted the blanket and once more he felt the thin rod being inserted into his body.

"Stop," he cried out trying to move away. Owen kept one hand on his hip holding him still as Jack continued to hold his shoulder and his leg. Humiliated, he buried his face in the pillow as he waited for it to be over.

"It's not so bad is it?" Jack questioned. The Doctor didn't bother to answer him. It wasn't worth his time or effort. As soon as he felt Owen pull the horrible thing from his body, he lashed out, kicking and rocking violently as they let him go. He fought, pulling on his wrist and twisting his right arm trying to get them free so he could escape.

"Calm down before you hurt yourself even more," Owen advised him.

"Go to hell," The Doctor yelled at him as he kept fighting. He had enough of being chained down and humiliated by Jack. He was going to get loose and get out of Torchwood, even if he regenerated in the process. He saw Owen walking away from him as Jack stood over the bed.

"Stop it," Jack snapped at him. The Doctor looked Jack straight in the eye.

"No," He hissed as he pulled harder on his wrist. He could feel the handcuff digging into it and blood was running down his hand. That didn't stop him from yanking harder in the futile attempt to free himself.

"Last chance. Calm down now or I am going to sedate you," Owen warned the Doctor as he held up a syringe. The Doctor considered letting him for half a moment before going still on the bed. He was breathing hard and covered with sweat. Jack reached out to brush the hair back from his forehead. He reacted immediately snapping his teeth at Jack as he tried to bite him. Jack pulled back quickly.

"No," Jack scolded the Doctor slapping him on the cheek. The Doctor's eyes narrowed further. Jack had no idea what he was getting into treating the Doctor like he was an animal, but the Doctor was going to make him find out.

"Jack that isn't going to help anything," Owen sighed watching their exchange. Jack was trying, but he wasn't cut out to train a newly caught slave and especially one as stubborn as the Doctor. It was obvious to Owen from the moment Jack told him about the Doctor that he had never had an owner before. Owen wasn't sure if that meant that the Doctor was new to Earth or if he was one of the free aliens that lived in hiding. Regardless he wasn't used to having to serve humans and Jack wasn't being consistent with his training. He would go from trying to be the alien's friend to treating him like a pet.

"He started it," Jack snipped. He knew it sounded childish, but at the moment he didn't care. Even though he had enjoyed his night with Ianto, he was regretting not taking the time to get a little sleep before his shift started.

"And as his owner, you need to start training him properly or I am going to invoke code 947 and keep him here under my care until he is healed," Owen informed Jack. Code 947 was created to contain slaves that were considered a danger to the humans that they served. Once the code was invoked, Jack would have to prove that he was capable of training the Doctor properly or the Doctor would be put up for auction again and Jack would be banned from having a slave again until he took the proper training classes.

"Fine. I will be in my office," Jack huffed. He stormed out of the autopsy room and up the stairs slamming the door behind him. Once he was gone Owen turned his attention back to the Doctor. The Doctor was glaring at Owen still with a fury unlike Owen had ever seen before. He wanted to care for the Doctor's now damaged wrist, but instead he headed to his office to give the Doctor a moment to calm down before he tried.

The Doctor was livid, though. Now that his arm had been tended to, his patients for the humans had once again ran out. He was not going to lay here again and let them shove things into his body against his will. He was going to get out of this place once and for all. Lifting his arm gently, he could feel that the stitches ran along his elbow. He really shouldn't be using his arm, but he had to if he was going to get his left arm free from the handcuffs. Once free, he was positive he could find something sharp to fight off the humans with in order to make his escape from Torchwood. The problem was that they all carried guns and while he knew how to use a gun, he despised them and refused to touch one. Still he would figure that out when he came to it, right now he had to worry about getting free. 

Only being able to use his right arm and his teeth, it took a little maneuvering to get his arm free of the sling. As he did, pain shot through his arm and he bit down harder on the sling to keep from crying out. With how bad the pain was with painkillers in his system, he hated to imagine how bad they would be without it. He was either going to have to steal painkillers from Owen or he was going to be suffering by the time he made it back to his TARDIS. He refused to believe that he wasn't going to make it. 

With his right arm free, he turned his attention to his left. It quickly became obvious that he wasn't going to be able to get his hand free unless he found something that he could pick the lock with or he broke his thumb. The thought of causing himself more pain wasn't appealing, so he focused on finding anything that he could pick the lock with. There was nothing close as Owen had taken the medical supplies and Hazel had taken the fork when she left. Still this was an autopsy room, there had to be something. He rolled onto his side. His hearts leaped as he saw sitting on a table not to far away was a pair of tweezers. The problem now was getting to them. 

His arm still attached to the bed he rolled over so that he was laying on it, half hanging off the bed. He reached over as far as he could, barely grabbing the tweezers with the tips of his fingers. Smiling he rolled back and made quick work of the handcuffs, freeing himself from the bed. He grabbed his trousers from where Owen had left them on the floor and pulled them on. As quickly as possible he slotted his arm back into the sling, securing it and then slipping the tweezers into the sling beside his arm. Not wasting any more time he set off up the stairs. He made it to the top with ease and out into the main room. As he entered the main room, he could see the others working and going about their days. No one paid any attention to a slave going about their business and the Doctor used that to his advantage as he headed over to the main door. 

The door was locked from the inside and he needed a passcode to get it open. He would be able to bypass it, but it would take time. Keeping one eye on the humans, he took the panel for the alarm off. The technology for the lock was primitive compared to the technology that Torchwood possessed. So much so that the Doctor couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped as he viewed it. 

"You aren't supposed to be touching that. In fact, you are supposed to be in bed in the autopsy room," Jack informed him as he came down the stairs. There was a silent alarm attached to the control panel and as soon as the Doctor removed it, it had alerted Jack that someone was trying to escape. The Doctor glared at him as he pulled hard on the panel. Wires yanked free, sending alarms off in the hub. The entire hub went dark as it immediately went into lock down. The Doctor threw the panel at Jack, hitting him square in the chest. Jack stormed over to him. He placed his hand on the Doctor's shoulder, pushing him down to kneel as the Doctor fought him. 

"What did that accomplish? Now you are trapped in here with us until Tosh can reset the system. I know you are intelligent, I can see it in your eyes and it would benefit you greatly to use that intelligence for something besides trying to escape and making your bottom sore," Jack informed him. He knelt down beside the Doctor and pulled him forward over his knee. Injured or not, the Doctor had committed a major mistake and was going to be punished for it. 

"Here use this sir," Ianto told Jack, offering him his belt. Jack shook his head as he lifted his hand and swung it firmly to connect with the Doctor's bottom. 

"My intent is not to injure him, just to retrain his behavior," Jack responded. 

"Then you should at least remove his trousers," Ianto scoffed. Jack glared at him.

"Ianto go and help Tosh and let me punish him how I see fit," Jack hissed as the second slap landed. The Doctor didn't fight him as Jack spanked him a total of ten times for pulling the panel loose and then another ten for throwing it at him. About half way through the punishment, Owen came up the stairs looking for the Doctor. He saw Jack punishing him, but didn't step forward to interfere. After he leaned the Doctor up so that he could look him in the eyes. 

"Don't you dare ever pull a stunt like that again. Do you understand me?" The Doctor took a deep breath in, blowing it out of his nose as he glared at Jack. "We are not playing this game again. I know you have a voice and I expect you to use it or I am going to spank you again. So let's try this again shall we. I said do you understand me?"

"Yes," The Doctor hissed, his voice so low that Jack barely heard him. Jack was just happy that he got an answer so he didn't push him to say it louder. 

"Good, now stand up and go with Owen back to the autopsy room to have your wrist tended to. After I expect you to report to my office and kneel by my desk. You and I have a few things we need to discuss. Is that clear?" Jack ordered him. 

"Yes," The Doctor replied. His voice so calm that it made Jack shudder. The Doctor was answering him at least even if he was positive that the Doctor was plotting his murder. The Doctor stood and as Jack watched he followed Owen back to the autopsy room. Jack took a deep breath climbing to his feet. 

"Shut that blasted thing off," he yelled at Tosh. 

"I'm trying," She snapped back at him. Jack walked over to the computer and put his passcode into override the alarm. To his relief, the hub went quiet. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ianto standing by the rift computer waiting for him. Without acknowledging Ianto, he headed to his office to wait for the Doctor.


	10. Chapter 10

Jack watched the CCTV in the autopsy room as the Doctor climbed up on the bed and presented his wrist for Owen to clean. He had a scowl on his face the entire time that Owen washed then bandaged his wrist. After he finished he stood back and the Doctor stared at him at him a moment before getting off the bed. He walked slowly back up the stairs and Jack switched the cameras to the one in the hub to watch for the Doctor to emerge from the stairs. The Doctor walked to the end of the stairs leading to Jack's office and then paused. He seemed reluctant to go up them, Ianto changed his mind, though. Jack wasn't sure what Ianto said to him as he approached the Doctor, but he scurried up the stairs quickly without looking back. Jack flicked the screen off as the door to his office opened. The Doctor entered pausing at the door. 

"Close the door and come kneel down beside me," Jack instructed once more. The Doctor looked back out the door before crossing the room and then kneeling beside Jack's desk. He glared up at Jack with contempt in his eyes as Jack stared down at him. "Before we talk, I want to know. What did Ianto say to you?"

The Doctor took a deep breath as he considered not answering Jack. Lying, though, would get him punished and he really just wanted to go back to Jack's home at the moment and get away from Ianto. He still had the tweezers secured in the sling and the first chance he got, he was going to use them to escape from Jack's house and make his way back to the TARDIS. For now he considered his words before answering Jack as he still really didn't feel like talking to him. 

"I'm waiting, Doctor," Jack told him impatiently as the Doctor stayed silent. 

"He said that Owen was going to take me away from you and place me in his care. Then he would show me how a slave is supposed to be treated," The Doctor whispered finally. Jack nodded leaning back in his chair. 

"And that is a very real possibility unless you start listening to me. If Owen invokes code 974 he has every right to take you out of my care and into his own. Placing you with Ianto would be the next step as Ianto has four well-behaved slaves in his care and he would be a good trainer for you. Do you know the first thing he would do upon getting you home?" Jack questioned. He saw the shudder go through the Doctor at his question. Jack continued anyways. "He would strip you of your trousers and whip you until you begged for mercy for hitting him in the park. After he would have his slaves take you into the kitchen and start you working on chores in the house. If you couldn't walk you would be expected to crawl as not getting the chores done will result in another punishment."

"And my body?" The Doctor asked hesitantly. 

"Would be safe until he either received my permission, which he would never receive or until I was forced to sell you to him," Jack answered. The Doctor glanced up at Jack, meeting his eyes for a moment before dropping his head again. "You may not understand or like it, but I did buy you to save you from slave owners like Ianto."

"You're just like him. You want to break me just as much as he does. I heard you tell him you don't want to punish me but retrain me," The Doctor hissed at him. He expected Jack to add a punishment to his tally for his words. Jack had no plans to though as he was just happy that the Doctor was finally talking to him. 

"I don't want to break you. I love the spirit I see in your eyes and it would be horrible for anyone to take that away. That being said, I do expect you to listen to me and help me out around the house like I ask," Jack explained to him. 

"I will never listen to you. I can make armies turn around at the sound of my name and have fought in wars that this planet can only dream of. The Daleks call me the Oncoming Storm and I'm not a slave nor your pet," The Doctor spat. To emphasize his point he stood up looming over Jack. Jack stared up into the Doctor's brown eyes. They now held a storm behind them that was directed full force at himself. He could see why other's feared the alien that stood in front of him. He liked to think that he was brave but at the moment he wanted to turn and run from the Doctor. Instead, he held his ground. 

"You're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Being that you think you can keep me as a slave I am inclined to believe the latter," The Doctor informed him, his voice deathly calm. Jack felt a slight shudder go through his body and the Doctor smiled at the knowledge he was getting to Jack. 

"I'm far from stupid and I can see in your eyes that you are intelligent as well. So let's think about this logically shall we. I know you are planning another escape. Let's say that you get away from my house, then what? I am guessing you are going to head back to London where the auction took place. You won't make it two blocks in that city without being caught and returned back to me," Jack told the Doctor. "They have scanners, policemen and slave catchers patrolling the streets non-stop looking for new slaves they can sale at the auctions or return to their owners for a fee."

"Yes there are groups of people who demand equal rights for slaves or for slaves to be freed, but how can you know who you can trust?" Jack questioned. "There are many people out there who also say they will help you, but in reality they are just using you to find the groups that really will and arrest them."

"I can't trust you either," The Doctor hissed at him. 

"Actually, you can. I meant what I said that I will never take advantage of your body. I will also only punish you when it is deserved and not because I had a bad day. Also, if you behave I might be inclined to take you up to London for whatever it is that you are trying to get to. I won't do that, though, unless you show me that you are willing to cooperate," Jack informed him. The Doctor thought about it a moment. He didn't have to let Jack know what he was looking for if he could get Jack to take him to the building where the TARDIS was stored. Once there he would be free of Jack and this planet. 

"For how long?" The Doctor questioned. 

"That part is entirely up to you," Jack responded.

"Fine," He sighed at last. He dropped heavily onto his knees beside the desk once more, showing that he was willing to listen. He would give Jack a week, before the two of them would be heading to London together, regardless of whether or not he had Jack's permission.


	11. Chapter 11

It was late by the time that they left the hub and the Doctor curled up in the back of the SUV, relieved to be able to rest awhile. In order to prove that the Doctor was going to listen to him now, Jack had him running around the hub most of the afternoon helping the others. The Doctor reluctantly listened as he helped Tosh fix the broken door, then helped Owen to clean up the autopsy room. Jack kept him away from Ianto and the Doctor was grateful as he would have protested if Jack tried. Little did Jack know that the biggest reason he agreed to help the others without argument was so that he could learn the hub. As he helped Tosh fix the door, he studied the rift manipulator to see if he could use it to his advantage. Cleaning the autopsy room, he added a scalpel as well as a needle and a bit of thread along with a small hammer to his sling. 

"We're home," Jack announced as they pulled into the driveway. The Doctor sat up, stretching the best he could. Jack had restrained him again for the ride home, not trusting that he wouldn't try to throw himself out of the SUV again. Not that the Doctor would. He had learned his lesson from that stupid move, his head still hurt and he felt weaker than normal. Only time would allow him to heal and time is what he didn't have at the moment. He had one week to figure out how to get Jack to London and his TARDIS . Not that Jack knew his time frame, nor did he plan on following it. With his small collection of tools, he would be able to escape sooner. The door to the SUV opened and he got out of the back. He walked beside Jack up to the door and into the house.

"Go and kneel next to the table while I make us dinner. Would you like a cup of coffee?" Jack questioned as they headed towards the kitchen. 

"Tea?" The Doctor wondered as he knelt down. 

"I think I might have tea. I will check," Jack responded. He made the two of them a simple dinner of beans on toast. The Doctor wasn't happy with the meal, but he was pleased to see that Jack had made him a cup of the tea. He sipped it, relishing in the taste as he picked at the toast. "Not hungry?" Jack questioned as he finished his own meal. 

"No," the Doctor replied. Jack took his plate finishing off his meal for him. Once they were both done eating, Jack unrestrained him. The Doctor wasn't pleased when Jack asked him to clean the dishes. He washed them under Jack's supervision as he waited for an opportunity to take a knife. Jack never gave it to him and as soon as he finished washing them, he dried them and then put them away with Jack's help. With the dishes done, Jack took his arm leading him up to bed. 

"I am pleased with the progress you made today. Keep it up and we will be going to London soon," Jack informed him. The Doctor made a face at him as he laid down on his blanket at the end of the bed. Jack, restrained his left arm to the bed and then his feet, before following his normal routine of showering before bed. The Doctor closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep as he listened to Jack's movements around the small house. He waited until Jack was in bed and snoring softly before he opened his eyes again. 

Pulling his arm out of the sling, he shook his small collection of tools from it. With the tweezers, he was quickly able to free his wrist from the restraints and then freed his feet. Standing up he picked up his tools, pocketing them as he stared at Jack. Jack continued to snore softly. Turning the Doctor opened the closet slowly and quietly to find clothes to wear. His his lit up upon seeing his suit in the top. Grabbing it, he carried it with him out of the room, to the bathroom. Digging through the medicine cabinet, he pulled out antiseptic as well as a plaster. Standing shirtless in front of the mirror, he took a deep breath. This next part was going to hurt. 

Feeling along his neck, he found the chip that was buried in his neck. Picking up the scalpel, he gritted his teeth as he pressed the end of it to his skin. He barely kept from crying out as he pushed the scalpel in deeper making a small incension in his shoulder. Putting the scalpel down, he picked up the tweezers. He whimpered as he pushed them into the incension and found the small little chip. He pulled it out, dropping it on the counter. Picking up the needle, he sutured the wound closed using three stitches. He poured the antiseptic onto the small wound then covered it with the plaster. 

With that part finished, he changed out of Jack's trousers into his own. It was a little difficult to get his dress shirt and suit jacket on his sore body, but he managed it. His shoes weren't with his suit, but his coat was and that made him happy. Digging through his pockets, he found the hidden pocket inside his suit. His sonic was gone, but that was all right, he could replace it when he made it back to the TARDIS. He pocketed his tools again, then left the bathroom. Peeking in Jack's room, he was happy to see he was still asleep. He thought about restraining him, but that would waste even more time than he already had. Going to the kitchen, he pulled out a knife, pocketing it with the rest of his items. He hurried out of the kitchen and headed to the front door. 

With his hands unrestrained, he opened the door with ease, stepping out into the cool night air. He closed the door behind him, heading across the lawn slowly. He thought about taking Jack's SUV to get to London quicker, but he wasn't completely sure how to drive it. Also without his sonic he would have trouble jumping or finding out if it had a tracker on it. He could have just found the keys, but he wasn't about to waste any more time going back in to get the keys. He walked slowly across the lawn, heading for the safety of the alleyway. With any luck by nightfall tomorrow he would be off this awful planet and back in the safety of his TARDIS.


	12. Chapter 12

The Doctor stayed to the shadows and alleyways. It was slow going as he was injured and had no idea where he was going. Jack had mentioned the auction house was in London, but that meant little to him as he had no idea where London was. All he knew as that he had to continue to move away from Jack's home. He could feel the TARDIS stronger with every step that he took. She was calling to him, encouraging her thief to come home to her and he wasn't going to stop until he reached her. He kept walking as the houses gave way to land covered in bushes and trees. The sun was starting to come up by the time he reached water and he stayed in the bushes following it as he looked for a place that he could cross. Normally he wouldn't mind swimming, but he couldn't with his injured right arm. Finally, he couldn't go any further and he stopped in a secluded place. Hiding in the brush, he pulled his coat around himself, settling down to sleep for awhile. 

He woke up confused of where he was. He sat up quickly, as his hearts pounded before remembering that he was on his way home. He considered just laying hidden until nightfall, as he had no doubt that Jack would notice he was missing by now. He didn't know how missing slaves were reported or recaptured and he really didn't want to find out. Nor did he want to put off getting to the TARDIS any longer than he had to. Making his decision, he got to his feet, trying to ignore the pain in his neck, head and arm as he continued on his way. He concentrated on just putting one foot in front of the other as he looked for a way to cross the water and continue on his journey. His hearts leapt in happiness as in the distance he finally saw a bridge crossing the water. Settling down again, he waited for nightfall and it to be safe to cross. 

He didn't mean to fall asleep again, but he woke up to the stars shining down at him. He smiled up at them. He had always loved the stars ever since he was a child and to be out in them for even a moment made him happy. Getting to his feet, he started to walk towards the bridge again. His body was stiffer than the first time he woke up and he felt slightly hot. He worried that he was getting sick or an infection in his arm as it stung badly from where it had met the street. Once he got to the TARDIS he was going to have to scan it. He had an antibiotic on board that would kill any bacteria that may have gotten in the cut. He was also thirsty and going to have to find water soon, as he had no idea how long his journey was going to take him. 

He was almost to the bridge when a set of headlights came up behind him. He kept walking acting like he belonged there as he hoped they would just pass and let him be. He wasn't that lucky though as he heard the car stop and then the door open. 

"A little far out to be walking this time of night, don't you think," A man asked him. The Doctor didn't answer as he sped up his step, trying to get away from him. Showing how sick he was getting, the man easily caught up to him. "We had an alert sent out about a missing slave who matches your description. Do you know anything about that?" The Doctor turned his eyes finally to see a man wearing a police uniform standing next to him. 

"No," The Doctor told the man as he kept walking. The man grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. 

"How about you show me some ID then," The officer told him. The Doctor glared trying to wrench his arm loose. The officer didn't let go as he looked at the Doctor's injured arm and head with the glued together cut. The Doctor reached into his pocket, pulling out the knife that was in it. He swung it at the officer, who grabbed his arm wrenching it back. The Doctor cried out in pain and anger as he was forced to the ground on his stomach. The officer turned to his partner, who was coming up behind the Doctor. "Cuff him. We will sort this out at the station."

"Let me go," The Doctor cried out. He screamed in pain as his arms were pulled behind his back and a set of cuffs slapped around his wrist. They were pulled tight and he was searched, having the rest of his tools confiscated from his pockets. He was lifted, still facing down practically drug to the car as he fought against the men. Tears of frustration filled his eyes as he was forced into the backseat of the car and the door closed. The car had been reinforced with metal over the windows and a criss-cross of bars between him and the men in the front seat. Even if he wanted to escape, he couldn't with his hands behind his back. He stared out the window, as the car turned around heading away from his beloved TARDIS once more. 

They only drove for a short while before they stopped outside of a police station. He was pulled out of the back of the car and taken inside to a small room. In the room, there was a small desk with two chairs and a two-way mirror. He was left alone in the room, with an officer standing right outside the door making sure that he didn't escape. That didn't stop him from trying as he paced around the room, looking for anything he could use to get out of the place. He wasn't even sure how long he was in the room, before the door to the room opened. 

"You really didn't think I was going to let you leave did you?" Jack ask him as he entered the room. 

"Would be stupid to say yes now," The Doctor hissed at him. Jack closed the door taking a seat at the table as he stared up at the Doctor. 

"You almost had me believing that you were going to listen to me yesterday. Then I woke up to find you gone and your chip sitting on the edge of the sink. I just knew you were going to head towards London and sure enough here you are. On the bright side once we get home, I have agreed to sell you to Ianto so you will no longer be my problem," Jack commented.

"No. Jack please no," The Doctor whimpered. "Please just let me go home."

"I tried to be nice to you and this is how you repay me. I can't trust you, Doctor and I am sick of trying to make you listen. Ianto will be a good master for you. Unlike me, he doesn't mind whipping a slave into shape. I expect by this time next month you will be a good little slave listening to his every command as he claims your body each night," Jack taunted him angrily. The Doctor couldn't help the shudder that went through his body at Jack's words. 

"Jack. I am not a slave. Please just take me to London and let me go. No one has to know that you found me. I won't ever come back, I promise. Just let me go," The Doctor begged Jack. 

"No," Jack replied standing up. Grabbing the Doctor's arm, he drug him out of the room. The Doctor fought him as he was pulled through the police station to Jack's SUV. Jack opened the back, forcing him into it. He fought harder as he was handcuffed to the back of the seat and his feet were hooked together. 

"Jack, please don't do this," The Doctor cried out. Jack slammed the back door to the SUV closed going around to the front. "Jack you don't have to take me back. Just let me go."

Jack ignored him as he turned on the car engine. Reaching over he flicked the radio on, turning it up to drown out the Doctor's screaming. The Doctor went quiet as he focused on trying to get loose from the handcuffs. He trembled in fear over the fact that Ianto was going to be his new owner. He couldn't bare the thought of what Ianto would do to his body. He wasn't going to let that happen, though. He would die before he let that man use his body for his own pleasure. He just hoped it didn't come to that.


	13. Chapter 13

The Doctor watched the lights flashing by as the SUV drove on. With every passing minute, his terror grew as he wondered how far away from Ianto's house they were. He fought to get his hands free as he tried to figure out how fast they were going. The last time he threw himself out of the back of the SUV it nearly killed him, this time he hoped that it did. Try as he might, with both his hands latched to the seat and no tools, he couldn't get free. He didn't give up, though, not even as he felt the SUV finally slowing down and then coming to a complete stop. Jack got out of the front coming around to the back. He opened the doors, avoiding the Doctor's feet as he kicked out at him. 

"Get out," Jack spat as he released the Doctor's hands. The Doctor didn't have time to react before Jack grabbed his legs, pulling him out. "I said get out." The Doctor tumbled out of the SUV, his eyes closing as he landed hard on the concrete below. He body jarred painfully and he cried out in pain. Jack didn't give him any time to recover before pulling him to his feet. A collar was placed around his neck and Jack made sure it was secure. 

"Jack please," The Doctor began again. 

"Quiet," Jack hissed. The Doctor opened his eyes, surprised to see that they weren't in a residential neighborhood, but surrounded by buildings. He pushed past the terror and opened his mind. He felt the TARDIS clearer than he had since Jack purchased him. He didn't dare to get his hopes up, though. He stood still as Jack unhooked his legs, as he continued to hold his arms tightly. 

"I don't understand," The Doctor whispered. 

"Neither do I. Now you were so eager to come to London that you ran away and left your chip on the bathroom sink. You see that man there," Jack pointed at a man in a black suit. "And that one there." He pointed at another. "They both would have caught you before you even made it halfway up this street. The only way you are going to make it safely to your destination is if I am with you as I tried to explain to you. Now if you want to find whatever the hell you are looking for, then I suggest you start walking or I will turn around right now and take you back to Cardiff."

The Doctor hesitated for just a moment as he reached out his mind to the TARDIS. She hummed back at him, calling him to her. With Jack's hand on his arms, he took one step then another. He really didn't want to bring Jack with him, but he was eager to go home. Home to his TARDIS and away from this horrible planet. He tried not to run or show his happiness as he followed the TARDIS's humming. 

"I thought you sold me to Ianto," He questioned as they walked. He was weary of Jack's motives and worried that as soon as they found his TARDIS she was going to be taken away from him again.

"The deal isn't complete until I deliver you to his home. If you really want, I can take you there now," Jack informed him. He would also have to call Ianto and inform him that he was going to sell the Doctor. At the moment, it was still up in the air as he hadn't actually agreed to Ianto's proposed amount. He had been angry yesterday when he woke up to find the Doctor gone and Ianto had agreed to take the Doctor off his hands in exchange for one of his own slaves and a considerable amount of money. He told him he would consider it, even if he had no plans to follow through, despite what he told the Doctor. 

"I would rather die," The Doctor hissed as he glared at him.

"Then I suggest you get moving," Jack responded. The Doctor went quiet as he walked a little quicker. They had to walk for almost an hour to get to where she was parked but with every step, her humming grew louder until he recognized the area.

"In there," The Doctor told Jack, gesturing with his head to a building nearby. 

"Are you sure?" Jack questioned. The Doctor nodded. Jack led him towards it heading to the front of the building with stairs leading up into it. The Doctor shook his head no, as Jack started towards them. 

"We need to go to the basement," The Doctor informed him. 

"Do you remember how to get to it?" Jack asked him. 

"Yes," The Doctor replied as he walked towards the basement door. He found it with ease. He didn't remember the stairs being so broken, though. He was thankful for Jack's support as he made his way down them and into the basement. He hurried through the basement and to a side room. Jack followed behind him, as he reached down and unhooked the clip on his gun in case he had to draw it quickly. Much to his surprise the Doctor led him to a big blue police box. The Doctor hurried over to it, laying his head against it. "Oh, I've missed you," he whispered as she hummed through her. 

"This is the reason that you wanted to come to London. That you ran away from me and threw yourself out of the back of an SUV. All of that for a police call box," Jack questioned. 

"Yes," The Doctor responded. He swore under his breath as realized that he didn't have the key to enter her. He was so close and still unable to get away. Barely daring to hope, he looked at Jack. "When you were given my clothes was there a key in them?"

"No," Jack answered. The Doctor slammed his head against the doors. 

"Uncuff my hands," He told Jack. Jack didn't move. "Please Jack, I'm not going to run away. Regardless of whether or not you believe me, I actually want to be here. Now please release my hands." Jack pulled out the key to the cuffs and released the Doctor's hands. The Doctor pulled his arms forward, rubbing his wrist. His right arm burned and he could feel wetness on his arm, making him think that he had broke the stitches. He ignored the feeling as he reached up with his left hand and found the key he kept hidden on top of the box. It was a small little compartment and hard to pry open one handed, but he managed it. He smiled as he pulled the key out and inserted it into the lock. 

Jack watched in slight amazement as the doors opened to reveal a large room on the other side. The Doctor strolled into the TARDIS as she hummed happily at him. 

"It's bigger on the in...." He didn't finish his sentence as a fist connected firmly with his jaw knocking him to the ground. The Doctor shook his hand out as he stared down at his capturer for the last few days. 

"Yes, it is," He responded closing the door tightly behind him. He leaned down and found Jack's handcuffs. Placing them around Jack's wrist, he attached him to the railing by the door before stepping over him on his way to the medi-bay. He needed to attend to his arm and wasn't about to let Jack wander his ship unattended while he did. He would deal with Jack in a little bit, for now he focused on taking care of himself.


	14. Chapter 14

The TARDIS hummed at him as he walked past the console on the way to the medi-bay. It was rare for them to be apart for more than a few hours and she had been worried about him in his absence. He paused there for a moment, letting his fingers run along her controls as he felt her scanning him. She was analyzing his injuries and comforting her Time Lord while at the same time welcoming him back. He stood there relishing in the feeling of her washing over him for a moment, before heading down to the medi-bay.

Once inside, he carefully took his jacket off and laid it on the back of a chair. His shirt was saturated in blood and he peeled it off along with the blood-soaked bandages. His arm was red crossed with black broken stitches The screen monitor changed and she displayed his injuries for him as well as the recommended treatment. Thankfully his bones were robust so while he was in a lot of pain, nothing was actually broken. Going to the medical cabinet, he pulled out an anesthetic actually made for his unique body chemistry as well as strong pain pills. He took the pills first, giving them a few minutes to take effect while he put pressure on his arm to stop the bleeding. As the painkillers kicked in, he felt his body relaxing. Releasing pressure on his arm, he saw that the bleeding had stopped enough that he could stitch his arm. 

He filled the syringe with anesthetic, making sure that the air was out of the syringe. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the needle into his arm, near the top of the cut. He injected a small amount, then pulled it out, and injecting another spot. He gave himself eight injections, making sure that his arm was thoroughly numbed before beginning to suture it. Though, it had been necessary more than once over the years to stitch his own wounds, it still sat high on his list of least favorite things to do. His stitches weren't the straightest, but they would hold the wound closed. He then wrapped his arm in a clean bandage, before moving on to examine his wrist. His wrist was rubbed raw from the handcuffs, but required no further care, nor did the stitches in his shoulder from where he removed the chip. He examined his head in the mirror and determined that the wound was healing well before going back into the cupboard. He pulled out a vial of antibiotics and a clean syringe. Filling the syringe, he lowered his trousers so that he could inject himself in his thigh. 

Throwing the syringes in the sharps bin, he finished undressing. He really wanted a shower but with the numerous cuts and bruises on his body it wasn't an option at the moment. Instead, he settled for a sponge bath before dressing himself in a clean brown suit complete with a brown tie with blue swirls on it. He spiked his hair to the way he favored it. Looking in the mirror, he could clearly see the glued cut and the swelling near his eye. He was tired and needed to sleep again in the comfort of the TARDIS's song, but that could wait for now. Heading to the kitchen, he made himself a cup of tea and Jack a cup of coffee before returning to the control room. As he headed into the room, he wasn't surprised to see that Jack was now sitting up glaring at him. 

"I made you a cup of coffee," The Doctor advised Jack, handing it down to him. Jack didn't take it, so the Doctor sat it near the rail that Jack's hands were attached to. 

"Am I your prisoner now?" Jack asked him. The Doctor shook his head no. 

"You are not my prisoner, nor are you my slave," The Doctor responded. "I do plan on keeping you with me for a little while, though, and hopefully while you are with me you will actually take what I teach you to heart."

"And why should I?" Jack questioned stubbornly. 

"There is too much that you humans don't understand. Don't get me wrong you aren't the first species to have ever taken another species as slaves. In fact you will find it all over the universe, but never to the extent that you humans have. Normally it is only a small group, not the whole planet that believes that slavery is right," The Doctor told Jack. He slid down the railing sitting down so that he could look Jack in the eyes. "First, I want you to tell me where Ianto lives. That man has no right to have anybody in his care especially his poor Koteshkis. The fact that he wants to breed Hazel is appalling as well as the fact that she will only be able to keep one of her children. What happens if she has a child that is undesirable or multiple children at once?"

"Ianto would adopt them out to other slave owners who wish to raise a slave child to serve their children as they grow," Jack whispered. The Doctor's eyes blazed with fury and he let the full force of the Oncoming Storm glare at Jack. 

"That's horrible and the worse thing is that you don't see how horrible it is. I am going to the Shadow Procolamtation and sending them to Earth to free the slaves there. I don't care if they destroy your planet if it means that another Koteshki or any other species for that matter doesn't have to suffer the loss of her child," The Doctor snipped standing up. Jack watched him. 

"What about the innocent human children on the planet, that did nothing wrong besides be born on Earth?" Jack questioned. The Doctor paused on his way to the controls, placing a hand on them but not actually pressing any buttons. Knowing that he struck a nerve, Jack continued. "There are also groups on the planet that fight for the equal right for the slaves as well as a few underground groups that have freed numerous slaves. Do they deserve to die as well?"

"No," The Doctor sighed letting go of the handbrake. He had already killed 2.47 billion children he really didn't want to add to that number. Children were innocent and while he had no choice but to destroy his own planet to save the rest of the universe, he had a choice on whether or not he was going to destroy the Earth. Resetting the coordinates, he pulled the handbrake sending her on her way. It was only a short jump before he landed and strolled to the doors, pulling them open. Jack looked out in awe at the fact that they were floating in deep space. He could see more stars than he ever imagined existed twinkling in the darkness and shining into the TARDIS. 

"Earth is there," The Doctor advised Jack, pointing to a tiny star. "Each of these stars have their own planets and many of them their own lifeforms. Yet this is just a tiny section of the universe, insignificant really. Yet, every life in this sector, just as important as the lives in another. For every star you see there are more than you can ever imagine. I have watched stars being born and I was there when their time ran out again. I have been to the end of the universe and to the beginning as well. The fact that you humans think that you can own every alien that has ever walked this universe, that you are better than them all shows how little you really know about the universe. Think about that Jack. How long do you think you can keep taking slaves before the universe wages war against the unsuspecting Earth?" The Doctor looked at Jack.

"I don't know," Jack whispered. 

"Nor do I," The Doctor replied. "And for your sake I hope you never find out."


	15. Chapter 15

The Doctor left the doors open as he strolled back up to the console. He hit a few buttons on it and then waited as he took another sip of his tea. He didn't have to wait long as a drawer opened on the side of the console next to the monitor. Inside was a new sonic screwdriver as well as another small wallet containing psychic paper. He picked them both up, depositing them in his inside pocket as he sent a thank you to the TARDIS. She hummed at him in response. He leaned his head down onto her console, just feeling her flow through him as she soothed the pains in his body. He suddenly had the strong urge to curl up on the captain's chair and close his eyes for awhile. While he agreed with her assessment that he needed to rest, he couldn't just yet. 

"I will sleep in a little while," He whispered to her reassuringly. He had to force his head up from the console and away from her as she continued to try to lull him into the sleep that he so desperately needed. As he did, he saw Jack watching him curiously. He narrowed his eyes at Jack as he took another drink of his tea. 

"Who are you talking to?" Jack questioned him. 

"The TARDIS she is sentient," The Doctor answered him. He went around the console, leaning against it so that he could stare at Jack. He crossed his arms as he stared down at him. 

"I see," Jack drew out the words, showing that he didn't believe the Doctor. He suddenly yelped as a shock went through his handcuffs. He tried to pull away causing his wrist to jolt with pain. 

"Stop it," The Doctor scolded the TARDIS. He stood there quietly for a moment before he spoke again. "Yes, I know he started it. We aren't like them, though."

"Then uncuff me," Jack told the Doctor. At this point, he was positive the Doctor was insane. He wondered if he had made a mistake letting the Doctor come back to his ship. Almost as if in answer of his thought he was shocked again. He felt the machine hum in his mind and he realized that he was wrong. The Doctor wasn't insane, the ship really was sentient and he had pissed it off by taking her owner. 

"I will uncuff you if you give me your gun and tell me where Ianto lives," The Doctor replied calmly. 

"Are you going to kill him?" Jack questioned him curiously. The look of disgust was clear on the Doctor's face. 

"I told you, I'm not like you. I am going to free his slaves before I take you to the Shadow Proclamation as evidence of the atrocities that are currently happening on earth. If you cooperate with them, I am sure they will be lenient on you, especially if you are telling the truth that I was your first slave. If you fight, though, I cannot guarantee your safety," The Doctor explained to him. Going over to Jack he held out his hand for Jack's gun. 

"Take it," Jack responded hoping he wasn't sentencing Ianto to his death. The Doctor leaned down and unclipped it from Jack's side. He handled it with ease, showing Jack that he had used a gun before. Jack watched as the Doctor quickly unloaded then disassembled the gun before throwing it out the open door. He closed the doors behind him and hurried up to the controls. He looked up at Jack expectantly as he waited for Ianto's address. "I gave you the gun."

"I know, now Ianto's address," The Doctor told him. Jack narrowed his eyes. 

"Are you not going to release me if I don't tell you where he lives?" Jack questioned. The Doctor shook his head no. He went back down to Jack. He really didn't want to uncuff him and let him loose on the TARDIS. He had told Jack he wasn't a slave or a prisoner and while that was true, it didn't mean that he trusted him. He was terrified of letting Jack roam the TARDIS. He was still weakened from his failed escape attempt and Jack would be able to overpower him if he really wanted to. The Doctor refused to be a slave ever again, especially in his own home. The TARDIS hummed trough him, reassuring him that wouldn't happen. She could stop Jack from catching him or hurting him. 

"Don't touch anything," The Doctor warned him as he pulled out the key. He unlocked one side of the cuffs. Jack lowered his arms grateful to be released. He rubbed his sore wrist, then allowed the Doctor to unlock the other side. The Doctor pocketed the handcuffs as he headed back up to the controls. Jack stood up, following him. He looked over the strange console, not understanding anything on it. There were several buttons, faucets, levers, a bell and a few switches. He gave the Doctor Ianto's address, hoping that he wasn't sentencing Ianto to his death. The Doctor input the coordinates before releasing the handbrake. Dancing around the TARDIS, he piloted her to Ianto's house, landing quietly in his living room.

Opening the doors, he found the house dark. It was the middle of the night and the house was quiet as the house slept. The Doctor stepped off the TARDIS looking around. He turned and looked at Jack suspiciously as he stepped off the TARDIS after him. 

"Go back inside and wait for me," the Doctor hissed softly at him. 

"You need my help. I know where he keeps his slaves at night. You don't. I am in agreement that he has no right to have them and if you want to free them you need my help," Jack whispered back as he stood his ground. The Doctor didn't trust Jack for a minute. Hoping he wasn't making a mistake, he nodded. "Ianto's room is upstairs, second door on the right. Jasper should be up there with him. The other's are down in the basement. I will get them and meet you back here." 

"Don't make me regret letting you," The Doctor responded. He watched as Jack went into the kitchen before heading up the stairs. As he ascended them he heard grunting noises along with soft whimpers. He bristled with anger knowing what the sound meant. He continued forward, though, going to the door Jack had told him. Gripping the handle, he pushed the door open slowly peeking in as the noise got louder. Ianto didn't notice him as he had his back to the door as he continued to drive himself into Jasper's body. Out of the corner of the Doctor's eye, he saw a dresser sitting near the door with a book laying on it. The Doctor picked up the book, then rushed forward hitting Ianto in the head with it. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ianto asked as he grabbed his head and turned to see what hit him. He released Jasper, standing up to grab the Doctor's arm as he swung the book again. 

"Jasper run," The Doctor told the slave laying on the bed. Jasper didn't move as he stared at the Doctor wearily. 

"He won't listen to you," Ianto laughed as he swung, his fist connecting with the Doctor's swollen eye. The Doctor cried out in pain. He wrenched his arm free and swung again. Ianto kicked at him, and he managed to avoid his foot, but just barely. Ianto was trained in fighting, though, and he turned elbowing the Doctor in the side, knocking the breath out of him. He bent over and received an elbow in the back. Grunting, he drove himself forward  
headbutting Ianto in the stomach. Ianto fell back pulling the Doctor with him. "You'll pay for that slave."

"I'm no one's slave," The Doctor responded angrily as he hit Ianto again. Ianto reached to the side, grabbing a whip off the bed. The Doctor shrieked in pain as the whip connected with his back. He moved back and the whip hit him again. 

"You are a slave and the sooner you learn your place the better," Ianto responded. He raised the whip again and the Doctor grabbed his leg, pulling him to the floor. Ianto took the Doctor's arm in his hand, squeezing the bandage tightly. The Doctor gagged as unbearable pain shot through his arm. Ianto squeezed harder as he fought to get away. "Jasper grab him," Ianto ordered.

"No, Jasper. Please don't," The Doctor whimpered as he felt another set of hands wrap around him from behind. Jasper held him tightly as Ianto reached for his whip again. He paused as the Doctor kicked out at him. He kicked the Doctor hard in retaliation making him choke. "Jack?"

"Jack can't save you. Your multiple escapes as well as attacking me, has made it so he will have to forfeit his right to own you. I will see to it that he has no choice but to sell you at the next auction and then you will belong to me," Ianto taunted him. Ianto swung the whip back and the Doctor fought harder against Jasper as it connected with his legs. He cried out and kicked as hard as he could. Tears filled his eyes as he was hit again. He slammed himself backward, causing Jasper to lose his grip. Jasper struggled to grab him again as he rolled away from him. 

"Don't you dare," He heard Jack say. The Doctor tensed. It was the moment of truth. He looked up barely daring to hope that Jack would help him.

"What are you doing here?" Ianto asked him in surprise. "Never mind that, you're just in time. Your little slave here broke into my house and attacked me. I want you to subdue him while I call the police on him." Ianto who started to turn to look at Jack. Jack glanced down at the Doctor who stared right back at him. Copying the Doctor, as Ianto turned, Jack's fist connected squarely with his jaw. Ianto fell into a heap on the ground. 

"Did he hurt you?" Jack questioned as he rushed to the Doctor. The Doctor nodded, trying to stand up. He was pale from the amount of blood he had lost in the last few days and his head felt heavy. On top of that, Jasper was still trying to hold him down.

"Jasper let him go and follow me," Jack barked at him. At Torchwood, Ianto had given Jack control over the slaves and Jack had used it to get the other slaves out of the basement and up to the living room. He hoped that it would work on Jasper as well, as Jasper was by Ianto's side the most around the home. Much to Jack's relief, Jasper immediately let the Doctor go. Jack helped the Doctor to his feet. The Doctor leaned heavily against Jack, letting him support him as the three of them headed down the stairs. "Inside the blue box," Jack ordered the others. They didn't hesitate to follow Jack's orders as they rushed inside. Jack followed them with the Doctor. 

"I need the console," The Doctor told Jack. The TARDIS and Jack offered him support as he limped up to it. The Doctor sent the TARDIS out into the Time Vortex, then left it again just as quickly as he set the TARDIS to orbit the Earth's moon. His arm was bleeding again and his body stung from the whip. He nearly lost his footing and Jack caught him.

"Easy," Jack said as he took the Doctor's weight. The Doctor pulled away from Jack, stumbling a few feet forward.

"I have to get them settled and then I need to go to the medi-bay," He whispered. Jack barely caught him, as the Doctor's eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Scooping him up, Jack hurried towards the corridors in search of the medi-bay.


	16. Chapter 16

As Jack entered the corridors, he realized that he had no idea where the medi-bay was. The corridors were dark stretching almost endlessly in both directions. He stood there wondering which way to turn. All the doors were closed in both directions and here were no signs to point him on his way. The Doctor was obviously in bad shape and Jack worried that because the corridors were so long that the Doctor could be dead before he reached his destination if he went the wrong direction. He looked to the left, then right, then left again. As he did, he saw a stream of light pouring in the darkened corridor that hadn't been there before. Taking his chances, he hurried to it.

Relief filled him as he entered a room that was obviously the medical room. It wasn't very large as it only had two beds with a monitor by each one. Along the front of the room, there was a desk and another door, while on the side furthest away from him, there was a third door with a few cabinets. Jack hurried over to the nearest where he tenderly laid the Doctor. The screen by the bed automatically turned on flashing the Doctor's vitals to read. Though Jack understood what the screen was saying, he had no idea how to treat the Doctor for the symptoms the monitor was displaying. 

Jack really didn't want the Doctor to die because he was inept to treat him properly. Not only because he had no idea how to drive the TARDIS, but because he found that he truly cared about the well-being of the man. Yes, the Doctor had driven him to the breaking point when he had been being held as his slave, but being aboard this ship and actually talking to him was making him realize that the Doctor should never have been a slave in the first place. It was obvious that he was intelligent and knew things about the universe that Jack could only imagine. Jack had made a mistake in trying to reign in the Doctor's free spirit, but it was one that he planned on trying to rectify. First he had to save him. Jack looked over as there was a sequence of three beeps. A drawer that he hadn't noticed before opened up underneath the monitor. Inside of it was a bag of saline, a bag of blood and two syringes already prefilled with medication.

"Are these for him?" Jack questioned out loud, filling slightly silly to be taking to the ship. He received a soft hum in reply as warm air blew over him. Taking that as a yes, Jack grabbed the IV stand nearest to the bed and hung the two bags off of it. He had set IV's before so he was easily able to insert two canolas into his arm. To one of them he attached the bag of blood and then the other the bag of saline. He picked the syringes up out of the drawer and it slid automatically closed. Taking each syringe in turn, he injected them into the canola of the saline. Once that was done, the drawer opened again. This time, it had clean bandages, a needle with thread, antiseptic, and another syringe. Jack picked them up and as he did the monitor changed to show the Doctor's arm.   

Jack carefully stripped the Doctor of his shirt and jacket before he removed the bandages covering the Doctor's injured arm to reveal that it was bleeding again. The stitches that had been placed were torn and the wound now had several more jagged edges. Jack didn't see how he was going to be able to suture any of it closed. He did the best he could, though. He then wiped the Doctor's arm down with the antiseptic before wrapping it once more in clean bandages. He wondered how many times the Doctor's arm could be damaged before it had irreversible nerve damage if it hadn't already happened. Once the Doctor's arm was tended, Jack carefully removed his trousers and rolled him up onto his side. Anger filled him seeing the welt marks on his legs and back where Ianto had hit him from the whip. Jack hated Ianto's whip and he had forbidden Ianto from ever bringing it to the hub, but he couldn't stop him from using it in his own home. Jack sighed as he laid the Doctor back down, covering him with a thick cotton blanket. 

He flopped down in a chair next to the bed as he realized that he couldn't go home now. Ianto would have called the police as soon as he woke up on the floor and found his slaves gone. Jack had no concerns over the fact that he would be arrested for his involvement in what happened. He deserved to pay for his crimes. The Doctor didn't, though, and if he was captured he would be sent to a retraining facility where he would be punished for attacking Ianto and kidnapping his slaves. Jack had never seen one of the facilities personally and like most people pretended not to know of their existence. Even if he had heard stories about slaves who came from them. He refused to let that happen to the Doctor or to allow Ianto's slaves to be returned to him. Thinking about the four, Jack decided that he was going to have to check on them soon since the Doctor couldn't. He wasn't going to leave the Doctor until he was sure the Doctor was stable, though. 

It took over an hour before the Doctor woke up. He groaned as he opened his eyes to find himself once more in bed. He really didn't want to be in bed again as he had things that he needed to do. He tried to sit up and Jack put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. 

"Easy. You don't need to get up you just need to rest," Jack informed him. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine," the Doctor responded, his voice hoarse.

"You're not fine, you are injured and you can't keep ignoring that because every time you do, you make yourself worse," Jack responded.

"I will be fine." Jack shook his head as the drawer opened to reveal a bottle of water. He picked it up, opening it for the Doctor to drink. He allowed him to sit up a little to take a drink.

"Please, just rest. I know you are probably worried about Ianto's slaves," Jack started.

"They're not slaves," The Doctor argued interrupting him.

"I know. I will check on them, but you need to relax you lost a lot of blood and fainted. You won't be able to help anyone if you keep going like this. So please, just stay here before you end up killing yourself," Jack practically begged him. The Doctor nodded upon seeing Jack's concern even if he had no plans on listening to him. The Doctor took a large drink before relaxing back against the pillows once more. Jack made sure that he was comfortable. He then stood up, informing the Doctor he was going to check on the others onboard the TARDIS. He checked the Doctor's vitals to make sure that he was stable then made his way out of the room.  

He found them not in the main room where he had left them, but in another smaller room off of it. They were obviously confused about where they were and, though, the TARDIS had provided them several beds they were all huddled on the floor in the corner away from them. They jumped to their feet as Jack entered the room, their eyes downcast. Jack knew the Doctor wanted to free them, but they had been slaves for so long, Jack didn't know if they would ever be able to be truly free. Jack smiled softly at them as he stepped further into the room. 

"You can sleep on the beds if you want to," Jack informed them. None of them moved to head towards the beds as they continued to stare down. "I know you don't understand what is happening. I really don't understand it myself, but you are free now."

"He is telling you the truth," The Doctor told them as he limped into the room. Jack turned to look at him. The Doctor barely had his trousers up and was so pale that Jack was afraid that he was just going to fall over again. He stepped closer to the Doctor ready to catch him if he fainted "You don't have to answer to me or anyone else. If you want to sleep on the bed you can. It's alright if you want to lay down. It is more comfortable than the floor and you won't get in trouble for it."

"Only Jasper is allowed to sleep on the bed and only when he is with the Master, sir," Hotchkiss responded. 

"Ianto isn't here. He can't hurt you anymore," The Doctor explained to them. They looked doubtful as they continued to stand in one place. The Doctor agreed with Jack that it was going to make them realize they were free. He wasn't going to give up on them, but he couldn't keep standing there as his legs were beginning to shake. He put a steadying hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack wrapped an arm around his waist to help hold him up. 

"You need to go back to bed," Jack whispered in his ear. 

"I will in a moment," The Doctor agreed. "They need to finish getting settled and eat."

"I can take care of them. I can also get food for them if you tell me where the kitchen is," Jack responded. The Doctor nodded. He sent a telepathic message to the TARDIS and she blew cold air on him. 

*I know but he is trying to help and he did get me away from Ianto. I think we can trust him for now* The Doctor told her. She hummed her agreement to him and agreed to help as long as he returned to the medi-bay. He rubbed the wall and then turned to look at Jack. 

"I need to go back to the medi-bay, but if you ask the TARDIS will show you where the kitchen is," The Doctor informed. Jack led him back towards the corridors, hoping that the kitchen was close. As he entered the corridors this time, he found the left side was blocked with a wall and the right side was brightly lit with only a few doors on each side. Jack rubbed his eyes thinking he was going insane. Jack could see the medi-bay straight ahead and took the Doctor into it getting him comfortable in bed again. He replaced his IVs and made sure the water was close to him. He wondered if he should scan his head while he was in there. Nothing made sense anymore and it had all started when he met the strange alien laying on the bed. He pinched himself, swearing at the pain in his arm when he did. He was definitely awake, but that didn't mean he was sane and he doubted he would ever be again.   


	17. Chapter 17

While the Doctor slept deep in the comfort of the TARDIS's song, Jack took care of the four confused passengers they had brought with them. He tried not to order them to do anything, but it soon became obvious to him that by trying to convince them to eat he was just making things worse. Unlike the Doctor, they had been slaves since birth and knew no other way of life. Mayter had been with Ianto since his birth and had practically raised him while Hotchkiss was a graduation present from his grandmother. Jack wasn't sure when Ianto had acquired Jasper, but Ianto had always been an awkward young man not understanding his own sexuality. Rather than trying to come to terms with it, he had instead turned to his slave for comfort. 

 

"Master Ianto is going to be requiring his breakfast soon," Mayter commented as Jack came back into the room after checking on the Doctor. The four of them were still huddled on the floor together refusing to get on the beds that the TARDIS had provided them.

 

"Ianto can take care of himself," Jack responded. Mayter shook his head no causing Jack to sigh. Mayter was more than likely right since Ianto never had to take care of himself a day in his life. He relied on the slaves not only to wake him in the morning but to cook his meals, clean his home, and wash his laundry. He would be lost without them and despite the Doctor freeing these four from Ianto's grasp it would only be a matter of time before he replaced them. 

 

"Master Ianto is going to be furious," Mayter informed Jack. 

 

"I am sure he is," Jack mumbled as he knelt down in front of the terrified group. "He is also going to be mad when he finds out that you didn't listen to me. Do you want that?" 

 

"No," Mayter replied softly. 

 

"Then how about you follow me to the kitchen. We can make breakfast together. After you four eat, you need to sleep. The Doctor is going to be furious at me if he wakes up to find that you are still huddled on the floor," Jack told Mayter. 

 

"We will wait for Master Ianto," Mayter responded. He was the only one brave enough to speak to Jack without being given permission first. 

 

"Then you have a long wait," Jack snipped at him in frustration. He stood up rubbing his temple. Anger was going to get him nowhere. He wasn't sure when the last time the small group ate as Ianto didn't make a habit of making sure they were fed. He really didn't want to deal with four more patients as he already had his hands full with the Doctor. He thought about just ordering them to eat, but he knew the Doctor would be upset with him if he did. Part of him wondered why he cared. He still didn't quite understand why he was helping the Doctor. All he knew was the stubborn man was trying his best to convince Jack that their way of life was wrong and for some reason he found himself listening. He took a deep breath before trying again. 

 

"I know you don't understand what is going on. One minute you were in your home and the next we took you away from it forcing you into this strange box. The only thing I can tell you is that while you are aboard this vessel, you won't have anyone telling you what to do. For the first time in your life, you get to choose what you want to do. You can go to bed when you want, eat what you want and wear what you want to," Jack explained to Mayter. He leaned back against the wall as Mayter stared up at him in confusion. "You don't know what you want do you?"

 

"No, Master Jack," Mayter responded. 

 

"I'm not your Master, not anymore. I know that Ianto said that you had to listen to me while we are in Torchwood, but this isn't Torchwood," Jack told him. He was quickly coming to the conclusion that despite the Doctor's protest the only way he was going to get the four of them to eat was to order it. He left them on the floor of the room as he headed out across the control room to the TARDIS doors. Opening them wide he stared out into the darkness of space. Below him, the Earth shone as a bright blue marble against the black night. There would be no escape for any of them. Despite the Doctor claiming that he wasn't his prisoner, he was still trapped aboard this vessel until the Doctor chose to release him. If that ever happened. Either way he would be someone's prisoner. He knew that if he returned to Earth he would be arrested on the spot for attacking Ianto. The choice was his of whose prisoner he wanted to be and given the two choices he would happily stay with the Doctor who had shown him decency despite how he had treated the man. 

 

Closing the doors behind him, he made his way to the medi-bay. The Doctor was still sleeping soundly as the TARDIS monitored his vitals. The twin heartbeats were shown on the screen. They were slower than Jack would have expected but being that he didn't know his species he wasn't sure if it was normal. The TARDIS hadn't alerted him to any problems so Jack had to assume it was. He changed over the nearly empty IV bag setting the almost empty one aside. He removed the second IV that was providing the Doctor additional blood, placing a plaster over the site. The Doctor didn't stir as Jack tended to him. 

 

Jack hoped that the man survived his injuries. Not just because the Doctor was his only way back to Earth but he genuinely like the man. The man had challenged him forcing him to be someone he wasn't, yet he had forced him to see reason. He would have never had the courage to stand up to Ianto without the Doctor's help regardless of how much he hated the way he treated his slaves. Thinking of the slaves, he sighed. He still had to get them to eat or at the very least drink a glass of water. He groaned, laying his head down on the bed. He just needed to rest for a moment then he would be ready to deal with everything again. He hoped.


	18. Chapter 18

The Doctor was kept asleep for almost fifteen hours as the TARDIS helped his body to heal. He woke up confused at first to find himself still in the medi-bay. He was relieved, though, that his escape hadn't been a dream. Despite sleeping, he still felt exhausted but the TARDIS would not have let him wake up if he wasn't ready. Due to his injuries he was going to need more sleep the next few days. As unhappy as that made him, he was going to have to accept it. He was just thankful that he was back safe upon his TARDIS rather than trying to sleep on the uncomfortable floor at the end of Jack's bed. He shuddered at the thought of being handcuffed again to the bed. His experience on Earth made him weary, but wouldn't stop him from traveling among the stars again. He was just going to have to be careful. For now at least, he had learned not to just ignore the Time Lord's stories, but to proceed with caution.

Carefully removing the IV from his arm, he got out of bed in search of the others. He found them still huddled in the room watching Jack wearily. Jack hadn't noticed his arrival as his head was in his hands as he stared down at the floor. The Doctor glanced at him before turning his attention to the scared group. It was immediately obvious that they hadn't moved from the room the entire time that he was asleep. Based on Jack's frustration it wasn't from lack of trying on his part and he was thankful that Jack hadn't ordered them to move. If they were ever going to be free, they were going to have to learn to make their own decisions rather than listening to orders. Going over to them, he knelt down to their level rather than looming over them.

"You have to be hungry. If you come with me to the kitchen, we can have tea before I go to the Shadow Proclamation. How does that sound?" He wondered softly.

"They won't listen to you," Jack informed him without raising his head. "I've been trying to get them to leave the room but they refuse to move until Ianto returns or I order them to."

"I don't want them to listen to me because they have to," The Doctor told Jack with a glance. He turned his attention back to the four. "I know you are afraid, but it is going to be alright. Jack, Ianto, and the others can't hurt you anymore. I can take you anywhere in space and time that you want to go."

"Home?" Mayter asked sounding almost hopeful.

"I can take you home," The Doctor responded almost happily. "Where is home?"

"With Master Ianto," Mayter answered causing the Doctor to sigh. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Standing up he left the room quickly heading towards the kitchen. Reaching it he found a tray laid out for him. He filled it with toast, bananas and marmalade as well as a hot kettle full of water for tea and coffee. The Doctor then carried the tray back to the room, setting it on the floor in front of them. Taking a seat, he took a banana opening it to take a bite.

"Join us Jack," He told him with his mouth full. Jack slid down to the floor reaching for a piece of toast. He spread the marmalade on it thickly then offered it to Hazel. She hesitated before grabbing it. She took a small bite as Jack made toast for the others. On their level, the group ate a small meal with a cup of tea each, except for Jack who had coffee. Jack made the drinks for them all trying to show that he wasn't in charge, but an equal among them. They refused to move to the beds to sleep, but the Doctor pulled the blankets down to the floor for them to lay on. Hazel moved away from Hotchkiss putting the other two between them. The Doctor remembered Ianto mentioning that he wanted to mate them and seethed slightly at the thought of Ianto ordering Hotchkiss to lay with Hazel.

"I can have the TARDIS provide another room if it will make you feel more comfortable Hazel," the Doctor offered. Hazel shook her head no curling against Mayter as he curled a protective arm around her. Understanding that Mayter would look after her, he gestured for Jack to follow him. Jack picked up the empty tray, taking it with him to the control room. He watched as the Doctor danced around the controls before pulling the handbrake to send them on their way. The TARDIS jolted sending the teacups crashing to the floor, breaking on the grating. The Doctor didn't care as he stepped over the broken cups in an effort to try to stabilize the TARDIS. Not for his own sake or Jack's but for the people sleeping in the small room off the control room.

"It's a bit bumpy," Jack commented, grabbing onto the railing for support. The Doctor just smiled at him as he hit another button. The flight was longer than the first time and a few times the Doctor stumbled as he tried to reach the next lever in time. Jack noticed it wondering if the Doctor should have even been out of bed. Every time he opened his mouth to ask, though, the Doctor interrupted him asking him push a button near him or pull a lever. Jack followed the instructions as he gave up on trying to get the Doctor to rest again. The Doctor was clearly on a mission and hopefully he would rest when he was done. The TARDIS thrummed as she finally reached her destination. The Doctor had barely finished pulling the handbrake to keep her in place before rushing to the door. He pulled his coat on then stepped out with his hands at his sides ignoring the Judoon as they took aim.

"I demand to speak to with the Shadow Architect," he told them with all the anger of the Oncoming Storm. Jack stepped just out of the doorway, raising his hands to show he was unarmed as a weapon was turned towards him. "Put your hands down, Jack. They wouldn't dare shoot us."

"Are you sure?" Jack wondered slowly lowering his arms.

"Yes," The Doctor replied not looking at him as he waited. It didn't take long before a pale woman with red eyes and wearing a black dress entered the room.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded to know as she swept towards the Doctor.

"Earth has been illegally taking other alien species as slaves," the Doctor informed her his voice calm despite his anger.

"We are aware," She answered him.

"Yet you have done nothing to stop them," he practically yelled in response.

"It is a level five planet. We have no authority." She responded.

"I was held as one of their slaves. That has to give you the authority to enter Earth's atmosphere and put a stop to their actions," the Doctor seethed as she stared at him her expression unchanged despite his anger. He ran his hand through his hair as he growled in anger.

"Every species knows that landing on Earth is restricted. I am sorry, Doctor, but I cannot help you if you chose to go there. The consequences of your actions are your own," she told him as she turned away.

"Fine, if you won't stop them then I will," the Doctor hissed. She looked back at him.

"If you are planning on declaring war against a level five planet I will have no choice but to stop you," the Shadow Architect informed him as she motioned for the Judoon to step forward.

"Then stop me," he replied. Turning his back on her, he strolled into the TARDIS, shutting the door firmly behind him. As he strolled calmly up to the controls, Jack stared at him fearing the man he had once tried to control. There was something dark lurking in the Doctor's brown eyes and for the sake of everyone on the planet Earth, Jack prayed that it remained hidden.


	19. Chapter 19

"That was useless," Jack commented as the two of them entered the TARDIS. He didn't know what he had been hoping for when he followed the Doctor off the TARDIS and into the Shadow Proclamation's headquarters. He liked to think he was a good man when it came to the treatment of slaves on Earth, but he knew of other people who were doing more than him to assist. He had once dated a man who tried to get him to join a group that advocated the freeing of the slaves. He had shown interest just to get into the man's trousers then never followed up. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't even the nicest man when it came to treating them with respect. He had forced the Doctor to lay on the floor at the end of his bed, treating him like an animal instead of listening to him. If he had, he would have realized from the start that the Doctor didn't belong on Earth. The signs were all there from how scared and confused the man was to the fact that he was still a virgin at his age. That didn't happen anymore unless the slave was raised to be bred. 

Now that Jack was finally listening he was ready to help try to free the slaves that were still on Earth. Yet, he didn't know how the Earth would cope if suddenly all the slaves they had were taken from them. The humans had come to rely too much on the slaves not only to take care of them inside their homes but to work the jobs they didn't want to. He remembered when they first started working in the factories when he was a child. There had been rallies and protest with humans claiming they would be out of a job if the slaves gained that little bit of independence. Now, no one seemed to care that over half of the workforce in factories were now slaves and that number was only expected to rise in the next few years. 

"What I don't understand is why the Shadow Proclamation and the Council knew of Earth's tendency to take slaves but chose to do nothing about it. The Council tried to be better than the rest of the universe, choosing only to observe, but the Shadow Proclamation could have stepped in if they wanted to. I have seen them enter the atmosphere of a level five planet before to intervene on a kidnapping charge. Even after they claimed there was nothing they could do. There has to be something I am missing," The Doctor muttered to himself as he flopped backward into the captain's chair. He ran his hands through his hair, looking at Jack. His head was beginning to throb again out of frustration. What he really needed to do was to climb into bed for a few hours as he tried to wrap his thick brain around the information he had received. He wasn't ready to give in yet, though.

"Maybe you should lay down for a little while," Jack suggested when the Doctor began to of his neck. The Doctor glanced up at him surprised to see the concern in the human's eyes. He shook his head no. He regretted the decision immediately as the pain flared causing him to feel dizzy. He tensed as Jack walked over to him placing his hands on his shoulders. Jack chose to ignore it as he wasn't going to hurt the man. He gently squeezed the Doctor's shoulders before starting a soft massaging movement. The Doctor thought about shrugging Jack's hands off his body for only a moment. Jack clearly had a lot of practice and the Doctor closed his eyes, letting his head hang down giving Jack permission to continue. He felt Jack's hands drift down lower on his back, carefully kneading out the tension in his muscles relaxing them. The Doctor moaned, forcing back a yawn. 

"Jack," He mumbled, obviously more asleep than awake. 

"Hmm," Jack hummed in reply, his hands drifting even lower. 

"Tell me what you know about the slaves Earth keeps," The Doctor requested.

"What specifically do you want to know?" Jack wondered with a sigh. 

"When did Earth start keeping the aliens as slaves?" The Doctor questioned. "I mean aliens lived on your planet long before humans evolved. Not that you were the first intelligent species to evolve on Earth, but still you lived for thousands of years peacefully with the other aliens you took refuge upon your planet. What changed that made the humans decided to enslave them?" 

"In school, we are taught that we have always ruled over the aliens. It is written in our history books that the aliens were forced to build the pyramids and helped to build Stonehenge. As a child, I never questioned it. I believed the stories that humans were meant to rule over the slaves. That changed when I joined Torchwood," Jack answered him. 

"What happened?" The Doctor wondered.

"I was given access to files that the normal citizens of Earth aren't allowed to read. In them, I found discrepancies that didn't make sense. It was as if someone had altered our records to make it seem as if we had slaves longer than we really did. For weeks, I worked in quiet tracing the information I found until it came back to one day. November 21st, 1879. Not only was it the day that Torchwood was officially founded, but it was also the first time that there was definitive proof that we were keeping slaves on Earth. That slave was given as a gift to Queen Victoria for her cooperation in keeping silent about their arrival," Jack explained. 

"Whose arrival?" The Doctor asked. 

"I don't know. There is no record of what happened that night that made her accept the slave or who gave the slave to her. The queen of course over the years gathered her own group ofKoteshkis as well as a couple of Dyzemras. She denied all rumors that she had another slave kept under lock and key at all times. Yet, when she passed away her successor moved a man in the middle of the night to reside under the tower of London, where it is rumored he remained until recently." Jack stopped massaging the Doctor's shoulders to move around the chair and sit by him. 

"Do you know anything about the slave?" The Doctor questioned. He yawned again leaning back against the chair. He felt his head lull to the side and he stopped himself from resting it upon Jack's shoulder. Instead, he let it fall forward again. 

"Only rumors because just like that night he supposedly doesn't exist," Jack answered vaguely. The Doctor motioned for him to continue. "I will tell you what I know, only if you agree to lay down afterward Doctor because frankly you look like you are about ready to pass out."

"I will try to lay down," The Doctor agreed knowing Jack was right. Jack stood offering him a hand up. The Doctor got to his feet allowing Jack to lead him towards the medi-bay as he spoke. 

"The rumors are that he is a tall skinny man with light brown hair and dark brown eyes. Much like yourself, he is rumored to have two hearts but there are doubts that he is a Dyzemra like her other slaves," Jack answered. He offered the Doctor a hand onto one of the beds tucking the blanket around him. A small cup with medication along with a bottle of water appeared beside the bed. The Doctor picked them up, putting the pills in his mouth and washing them down. He sent a silent thanks to the TARDIS who hummed at him in return. He laid back against the pillows, pulling one to his chest to get comfortable. He was exhausted and nothing Jack had told him surprised him. 

"Is that it?" The Doctor asked slightly disappointed. He had expected the lies and misdirection of information. It was always that way when a secret was being hidden, regardless of whether it was to a friend or from the public in general. He was going to have to access the Torchwood mainframe in order to analyze the records himself to see if he could find out more about why Earth took slaves. He wrapped himself around the pillow burying himself deep in the warm blankets as he expected that their conversation was over. Nothing though could have prepared him for the next words that Jack spoke.

"There is one more thing," Jack spoke up at last. "Over the years, there have been many references to time when writing about the slave. In fact some of the conspiracy theorist who actually believe he exist have called him a Lord of Time."


	20. Chapter 20

The Doctor sat up straight on the bed. He was still exhausted but he could no longer sleep. Jack's words were replaying over and over in his head like a broken record. "Conspiracy theorist who actually believe he exist have called him a Lord of Time." It couldn't be. He was the last of the Time Lords ever since the last day of the Time War he had been completely alone. There was no one else but for the first time since that faithful day he felt hope. Hope that someone else had survived. Hope that he would be able to ask for their forgiveness and explain why he had no choice but to destroy Gallifrey. He threw back the blankets irritated when Jack placed a hand on his arm to stop him. 

"You need to rest," Jack chastised him as the Doctor glared at his hand. 

"I can't. I have to go to the palace," The Doctor responded. He shrugged Jack's hand off standing up beside the bed. He stumbled slightly as he felt dizzy upon standing. He grabbed onto the bed to steady himself, waiting for the room to stop spinning before taking a cautious step forward. He took another when he didn't immediately fall. 

"I don't know what you think you are going to accomplish storming the palace when you can barely stand up. Besides you won't get very far even with this brilliant machine. They will capture you and throw you in jail before you even get two feet in the building and I won't be able to save you this time," Jack informed him. The Doctor just rolled his eyes making his way slowly out of the medi-bay. 

"I am not going to just rush into the palace, Jack. I am going to land and then scan for any alien that has two hearts. Once I find him, I will move the TARDIS to the room that he is in," The Doctor replied. He continued on his way to the control room making his way to the console. He didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to himself so reluctantly he placed the TARDIS on silent and set her to be invisible upon landing. Pulling the handbrake he sent the TARDIS on her way, ignoring Jack as he sat down in the captain's seat with his arms crossed. It didn't matter that Jack disapproved of him going to the palace. If there was even a small chance that the other alien was a Time Lord, then he had to take the risk. He landed the TARDIS with ease in a storage cupboard on the bottom floor of the palace. A quick scan revealed that there were many single-hearted aliens and humans in the palace, but there was only one two-hearted alien. The alien was located by itself on the second floor of the palace in a large room. 

"That doesn't make sense," The Doctor mumbled to himself as he looked at the reading. 

"What doesn't? Jack questioned. The Doctor didn't answer him instead resetting the coordinates to the upstairs room. He landed it pulling the monitor over to look at it. The room was still reading as empty except for a double-heartbeat coming from within it. 

"Wait here," The Doctor told Jack as he head towards the door grabbing his coat. 

"No," Jack responded following him. "I'm not letting you go out there alone."

"While I appreciate the sentiment, it won't do us any good if we are both captured," The Doctor replied. Jack stared at him. 

"You have ten minutes. If you aren't back by then, I am going to come out after you," Jack informed him. Holding up his arm, he set the timer on his watch to ten minutes. The Doctor sighed as he opened the door stepping out into the room. The room was decorated in dark colors with a large walnut queen-sized bed against one wall with a black blanket covering it. There was a walnut bureau at the end of the bed that partially sat on a black rug that stretched the length of the room. The rest of the room was sparsely decorated only containing a desk, bookshelves, two bedside tables and a large chair that was facing the window. The curtains were drawn back and the sunlight shone in illuminating the chair.

"I wondered when you would show up," A smug voice spoke up from the chair. The Doctor felt his heart's beat faster upon hearing the voice. While the voice had changed the smugness in the voice was the same. It was a Time Lord that he had grown up chasing on the red grass of Gallifrey. The last time he heard the voice, though, was during one of the many battles of the Time War. The Time Lords had only resurrected him because they knew I'd be the perfect warrior for a Time War. They were both there when the Dalek Emperor took control of the Cruciform. The Doctor had watched on unable to stop what was happening but had stood his ground while his once friend had run. The Doctor had wondered what became of him at first. In the end, though, he figured that he had died like the rest of them. He never suspected that he would run to earth to hide among the slaves.

"How did you know I was coming?" The Doctor managed to stammer the question as he dared a step forward. 

"The Time Lords could never be content knowing that I was alive here on this miserable planet. I am just surprised that it has taken them so long to send someone to collect me," the man answered. 

"They didn't send me. Gallifrey is gone," The Doctor responded. 

"Gone? How can it be gone?" The voice snipped. 

"It burnt," The Doctor closed his eyes still able to feel the heat of the fire as the planet was consumed. He was supposed to die that day. He had left the TARDIS miles away not wanting her to be able to save him. Still, he had somehow woken up on the floor of the TARDIS with a new face, more alone in the universe than he ever had been before. He had screamed at her to let him die, but she refused. She had endured his anger to save her thief and for that he hated her.

"All of them? But not you, which must mean," The man drawled sounding almost happy. The Doctor wanted to take another step forward but he felt like he would collapse if he moved. He swallowed hard. 

"I was the only one who could end it. And I tried. I did. I tried everything," he explained already finding himself begging for the man to understand. 

"What did it feel like, though? Watching an almighty civilization burning. Oh, tell me, how did that feel? You must have felt like a god," The voice taunted him. 

"I've been alone ever since. But not anymore. Don't you see? All we've got is each other," The Doctor informed him. The man finally stood up turning to face him. He was young with brown hair, brown eyes and a rounded face. The innocent look didn't hide the sinister smile that crossed his face. 

"Are you asking me out on a date?" The man questioned. 

"We could leave this planet," The Doctor told him. To his surprise, he laughed. 

"And why would I want to do that?" He asked. 

"You're a slave here. Just like I was," The Doctor told him confused as the laughter continued. 

"Of course, I'm not a slave. Why would you think a silly think like that? Don't worry, though, Theta soon everyone will realize who their true Master is."


	21. Chapter 21

Jack didn't even give the Doctor five minutes before making his way slowly off the TARDIS. He was cautious not wanting to startle the Doctor or anyone that he was speaking too. While he knew that the Doctor didn't carry a gun, he really didn't want to get shot by one of the Queen's guards or whoever the Doctor was speaking with. As he peeked around the side of the TARDIS he couldn't see the man that the Doctor was talking to, but was positive that he knew the man's voice. He tried to figure out where he knew the man from as he stayed out of their sight, listening to their conversation. The fact that the Doctor was familiar with the other slave surprised him, but nothing prepared him for when the man stood up. The man was right he wasn't a slave and there was nothing that Jack could do to protect the Doctor from him. 

"Doctor," he hissed loudly trying to get him back to the safety of the TARDIS. The Doctor glanced at him out of the corner of his eye but didn't move closer. He ducked out of sight as the other man looked as well. He remained out of sight as they began to talk again. 

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked the man confused. 

"Do you really think that these apes were smart enough to come up with the technology to detect aliens? They are nothing but pawns in my game," The Master told him his voice filled with glee.

"What game?" The Doctor questioned. 

"All in good time, Theta," The Master answered. 

"I will find out what you're up to Koschei and if I don't like it, I will stop you," The Doctor snipped at him. 

"Is that a threat?" All the humor was gone from the Master's voice. 

"You know me better than that old friend," The Doctor responded. Jack ducked back onto the TARDIS as he heard footsteps approaching. A moment later the Doctor entered closing the door behind him. He didn't hesitate as he pulled out his sonic pointing at the console. A clicking noise behind him, let Jack know that the Doctor had locked them in. 

"He is right you know, he isn't a slave," Jack told the Doctor as he walked up the ramp towards the console. The Doctor paused turning to look at Jack.

"Oh? Who is he then?" He raised his eyebrow at Jack as he waited for him to continue.

"Everybody in England knows who Harold Saxon is, Theta" Jack responded. The Doctor glared at him. 

"Don't call me that," He hissed softly before turning to head over to the handbrake. He pulled the lever sending them into the vortex. "Let's pretend for a moment that I haven't been to Earth before now and that upon my arrival I was taken as a slave and not given access to any source of news past the information my keeper felt I should know."

"Sorry," Jack apologized as the Doctor sat down heavily on the Captain's chair. The weariness on his face was showing through again. He really needed to be in bed resting, but Jack knew he wouldn't get him back into bed unless he answered him. He leaned against the console so that he could keep an eye on the Doctor as they spoke. "Harold Saxon has been in charge of Torchwood one for years now. The public, of course, knows this but he is more famous for his work with the slaves. It is because of Harold Saxon that they were allowed to start working in the factories and it was his idea to have the majority of the factory's workforce be filled by the slaves."

"Wasn't the public upset that the slaves were taking their jobs?" The Doctor questioned as he tried to figure out the Master's reasoning for getting the slaves out of the homes and into the workforce. Jack shook his head no. 

"They were weary at first, but the slaves receive wages for their work that are given directly to their owners. It has allowed people to retire at an earlier age and live off the income that their slaves bring home. He has also fought to allow people to own more slaves. When I was a child you were only allowed two slaves per member of your household. Now people own three or four without question," Jack told him and the Doctor sighed loudly. 

"I still don't see how the situation with the slaves is benefitting him," The Doctor complained rubbing his ear. The Master had once been his best friend and he still liked to think that he knew him better than anybody. The problem was that his mind was thick or he would have figured out the Master's plan by now. 

"The public loves him because of all the work he has done. He recently announced that he will be running for prime minister and polls show that he is expected to win by a landslide," Jack explained. While he did like Harold Saxon, he didn't think he should become Prime Minister. For some reason, people tended to forget that he took over Torchwood one after his predecessor went missing under suspicious circumstances. They never did find the man's body and Jack had no doubt that they never would. 

"The Master never wanted to be in charge," The Doctor whispered to himself. He wanted power, yes, but not the responsibility that came with running a government. 

"So why would he run for Prime Minister?" Jack questioned him. 

"I don't know," The Doctor yawned, his body betraying him by showing how tired he was. Jack stood up offering the Doctor a hand up. Neither one of them said anything as together they walked to the Doctor's room. It was obvious to Jack that the Doctor was trying to figure out the Master's plan and he didn't know if he questioning him would help or hinder him. So he let the Doctor remain quiet until he was ready to discuss his thoughts. He didn't fight as Jack helped him undress to his pants and then climb into his bed. Jack tucked the blankets around him. He went to the doorway and stood watching while the Doctor curled himself around a pillow. 

"Sleep now," Jack whispered his hand on the light switch. 

"Make sure you check on the others," The Doctor responded his eyes closing from exhaustion. 

"I will," Jack agreed flicking the light off. By the time he closed the door the Doctor was already snoring softly. Chuckling, Jack headed towards the kitchen.


	22. Chapter 22

Despite how exhausted he was, the Doctor didn't sleep long. He woke feeling restless as his mind ran through every possibility it could imagine of why the Master would have the slaves working in the factories. There was something he was missing, though. Something simple that his mind was too thick to figure out. Getting slowly out of bed, he stumbled his way to the door then out into the corridors. He made his way to the large room where the four former slaves were staying. Going into the room, he was happy to see Jack sitting on the floor with them as the group ate. Rather than making one large meal, Jack had gathered a variety of fruits, breads, crackers and cheeses laying them out on the trays for them to share. 

"Where did this all come from?" The Doctor wondered as he took a seat on the floor with them. He normally only kept bananas, tea, marmalade and bread in the kitchen, so he was surprised to see the abundance of food. 

"The TARDIS landed again after you went to bed. I went shopping at one of the nearby stores," Jack responded. The Doctor looked at him narrowing his eyes further in his confusion. 

"I didn't feel her land and someone would have had to help her run through the landing sequence," The Doctor told him. Jack shrugged. 

"It wasn't that hard to figure out once she alerted me that she was ready to land. I watched you the last few times and she shocked me when I tried to press a wrong button," Jack explained. The Doctor nodded slowly as he wondered why the TARDIS trusted Jack after Jack had kept him as a slave. Normally she was so attuned to his emotions that she would have shocked Jack for even trying to touch the console. He sent her the feeling of his confusion and felt her hum to him in reply. It still didn't make any sense, but it was a problem for later. Right now he needed to figure out what the Master was up to. 

"Did Ianto ever take you to the factories or talk to anyone about having you work there?" The Doctor asked as he reached for a piece of bread. 

"No, we only worked at home or at Torchwood with Master Ianto," Mayter responded. 

"What kind of work did he have you doing?" The Doctor wondered as he had only ever seen them making tea or cleaning. 

"Whatever he asked us to sir," Mayter responded. 

"You mean told you to do," The Doctor groaned. 

"It's the same thing to them," Jack spoke up. He went quiet again as the Doctor glared at him before turning his attention back to Mayter. He paused, though, looking quickly back at Jack. 

"Say that again," He told him. 

"It's the same to them?" Jack questioned wondering what the significance of his statement was. 

"That's it!" The Doctor yelled in triumph causing the small group to jump. 

"What is?" Jack wondered. 

"The slaves have been trained so that they don't ask questions. That is why he wants them working in the factories. He can order them to work on or build whatever he wants and they won't question him on why he is building it, they will just do the work that he asks them to," The Doctor rambled. 

"What is he building that would require factories full of slaves as workers?" Jack inquired. The Doctor shrugged a smile forming on his face as he did. 

"I don't know and in order to find out what he is building I will need to get into the factories," The Doctor explained getting to his feet. 

"In case you have forgotten Doc, on Earth you are considered a runaway slave and I am probably wanted by the police for helping you kidnap Ianto's slaves. We can't just walk into the factory and ask them what they are up to. If we tried I would be arrested on the spot and you would be taken to a retraining camp," Jack informed him. The Doctor couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped. 

"I have a Time machine, Jack. I can go anywhere I want to. I could land anywhere on Earth that I wanted to and no one would be able to stop me. I don't need to, though. All I need is for them to believe that I still have a chip and you to have a fake identity card and we can walk right through their front doors," The Doctor explained. 

"Your chip is still at my house where you left it," Jack scoffed. 

"I don't need a chip. They just have to believe I have one," The Doctor replied rushing out of the room and to his lab. Using the technology of the TARDIS along with bits and pieces he had picked up over the years, he made himself a new chip that the humans could read but sat as a patch on his skin rather than having to be injected. The chip stated that he was a slave owned by a Mr. James Hartnell. He gave Jack a fake address that could be traced to a real home if it was checked. Finishing the chip information, he made an ID for Jack that matched the information. He placed the patch on his shoulder, then grabbed the ID along with a pair of glasses before going to his room. 

He changed out his suit into a simple pair black jeans and a light blue overshirt. He had never seen any of the slaves wearing shoes, so he left them in his room beside his bed along with his socks. He then picked out a pair of black dress trousers and a dark red shirt for Jack. Taking everything he returned to his side. 

"James Hartnell, because that doesn't sound at all like Jack Harkness," Jack laughed as he looked at the ID. 

"Just get dressed," The Doctor scoffed. Showing that he had no shame, Jack chose to change in front of the Doctor making him turn his back to him, moving the TARDIS to the nearest factory. When Jack finished changing, the Doctor handed him the glasses. Jack put them on and then smiled at the Doctor. 

"How do I look?" Jack wondered. 

"The glasses have a small camera in them that will record everything that you are seeing and hearing so that we can watch it later. Make sure that you get a good look at the factory floor so that I can see the components that he is having them build," The Doctor explained ignoring Jack's question. "We can review the footage later, that way if we missed anything the first time around we can catch it on the second or third viewing. Any questions?"

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Jack asked him. 

"Only one way to find out, Allons-y," The Doctor called out heading to the door.


	23. Chapter 23

"Wait, Doctor," Jack called after him rushing to catch up. The Doctor paused in the doorway of the TARDIS, impatient to go out. His eyes narrowed as Jack reached into his pocket pulling out at a collar. "I know you don't like the collar, but if I take you in there without one, they are immediately going to suspect something is wrong."

"So I have to look like a dog for them to be happy," The Doctor hissed at Jack unhappily. His eyes narrowed further as Jack nodded. The Doctor thought about it a moment. As much as he wanted to check the factories the fake microchip on his arm was as far as he was willing to go to show that he was a slave, because one he figured out the Master's plot, no one would ever call him a slave again. He would make sure of that. On the other hand, if he didn't wear the collar the people at the factory would be suspicious of him and that would stop his plans before he was even able to start. Irritated he grabbed the collar, latching it around his own neck without Jack's help. 

"I'm sorry, Doctor," Jack apologized as he reached for his coat. 

"You should be," The Doctor snapped at him. Knowing he had to play the part of the slave, the Doctor fell back letting Jack exit the TARDIS first. He kept his head hung as he followed Jack up to the entrance of the factories. All around him, people were coming and going but no one paid attention to the two of them and the Doctor had hope that they were going to pull this off. That they were going to get the information that they needed. They stopped and Jack cleared his throat as he stood there. The Doctor looked up to see they were standing in front of the doors to the factory. 

"Not very well trained is he?" A man laughed as he exited the building. 

"He's learning," Jack responded. Realizing what Jack was waiting for, the Doctor rushed around him to open the door. He held it while Jack entered before following after him. "Good pet."

"I will leave you here," the Doctor hissed under his breath. Jack ignored him as he headed to the security desk that sat in the corner. The Doctor followed one step behind, trying not to look around too much as they walked. Even if he was curious he would be able to review Jack's recordings later from the glasses. 

"Can I help you?" the security officer behind the desk asked as Jack approached. 

"Yes, I am looking into moving near here and would like my slave to work outside of the home. I understand that your factory is currently hiring and would be interested in possibly getting him a job here," Jack told the man. The man nodded. 

"You will want to speak with our hiring representative. She is just down the hall and to your right," the guard explained. 

"Thank you. Come along," Jack told the Doctor heading down the hall. The Doctor followed him, trying not to glare as he walked. As they entered the office, Jack gave the same speech to the woman sitting behind the desk. She was more than happy to give Jack the paperwork for him to fill out and Jack took it tucking it under his arm. "Would you mind if we were giving a tour of the facility?"

"I am sorry sir, but we don't normally give a tour before the slave is hired," the woman explained. Jack smiled at her leaning slightly on the desk. 

"I know, but he is a bit of a handful and I would feel better if I could see the factory before I had him come here every day. I don't want to give you a slave who can't do the work as much as you wouldn't want to hire him," Jack told her. She nodded. 

"We haven't had a problem with a slave yet, sir. As you can see from the paperwork." She took it flipping it a few pages. "By having him come work here you are agreeing that we can use punishment if and when it becomes necessary."

"What kind of punishment?" Jack asked as he read over the paper. He didn't know why people would send their slaves to work in the factories when it clearly said that the factory was allowed to punish the slave. Then again it also promised that the slave would not be punished in a way that made it unable to work or left long term scars. Not that that made Jack feel any better. 

"Usually just a spanking. Although some slaves we have had to place in isolation until they calmed down, but that is only on rare occasions," the woman explained. Jack nodded. He wasn't about to push to see the factory floor as the woman had made it clear that it wasn't an option. Instead, he turned leading the Doctor out of the office. They left the building with the Doctor remembering to open the door and hold it for Jack as he left. Returning to the TARDIS, the Doctor took off the collar, throwing it across the control room. 

"Well, that was useless," he hissed irritably. 

"I agree. On the other hand, I did get you an application and if you get a job there you would be able to explore the factory without them being suspicious of you," Jack informed him. The Doctor glared at him. 

"So they can spank me and then isolate me when I misbehave," The Doctor questioned angrily. "I would rather die." Going to the console he changed the coordinates on it heading towards the next factory. There had to be a way for him to find out what was happening inside without going to work for one of them and he was going to find it. Even if it took him going to every single factory in England. Jack just sighed as he took a seat on the captain's chair. He had the feeling that he was going to be in for a long day.


	24. Chapter 24

He was only half right as the Doctor landed at two more factories before rethinking his strategy. Both factories had the same rule at the first, refusing to show him inside of the building until he actually worked for them. Their refusals did nothing but anger him, however, as he wasn't going to let himself be degraded any further by the humans. Finally, he came to the conclusion that if the factories weren't going to let him examine them willingly, then he was going to have to do it without their knowledge. He smiled happily to himself as he landed the TARDIS. Jack, on the other hand, sighed as the TARDIS came to rest. He had stayed next to the guard rail on this trip prepared to step out of the TARDIS and give his speech about just moving there once more. 

"You landed in the factory?" Jack hissed angrily at the Doctor as he opened his doors to find himself in the middle of the machinery. He closed the door quickly again as a guard turned at the sound of his voice. 

"The TARDIS is both silenced and invisible. The guards won't find us unless someone opens the door again alerting them to our presence," The Doctor informed Jack, the sarcasm clear in his voice. 

"Well, you could have let me know that you were going to land in the middle of the factory. Then I would have known not to open the doors," Jack responded letting his irritatation come through in his tone. He stormed up the ramp towards the Doctor. As he approached, he didn't miss the fact that the Doctor took a step back, worried even now that Jack was going to try to control his body again. Jack stopped in his tracks, leaving plenty of room between himself and the Doctor. He leaned casually against the console crossing his arms as he continued to glare at the man. "So what is the plan now?

"The plan is to wait until the factory closes then we are going to go in and find out what the Master is up to," The Doctor answered. He had landed the TARDIS late in the evening, hoping that the factory would be closing soon. His arm was beginning to hurt him again and he just wanted to take medicine before crawling into the comfort of his bed. He couldn't yet, though. Not until he knew what the Master was planning. "In the meantime, I am going to have the TARDIS scan the factory to see if she can detect anything unusual."

"What would you like me to do?" Jack wondered as he watched the Doctor dance around the console. 

"Would you please go and make sure that the others are alright?" The Doctor questioned. Jack rolled his eyes as he nodded his head. He understood that the Doctor was just trying to get him out of the way and it didn't make him any happier as he made his way over to the room where Ianto's slaves were staying. Opening the door, he could hear the faint snores of the others as they slept peacefully. Jack went to close the door again but as he did so, he heard soft cries coming from the far side of the darkened room. Concerned he made his way towards the noise. 

"Are you alright, Hazel?" Jack asked softly, not wanting to disturb the others. She didn't answer him as he made his way closer. As he approached, however, he immediately saw the reason for her distress. Hotchkiss was moving above her as she lay on her back with her head turned to the side. Tears were streaming down her face but she didn't fight him as she lay there letting him use her body. Jack was already angry and he didn't think about what he was doing as he grabbed Hotchkiss pulling him off of her. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"Master Ianto has ordered us to have a child," Hotchkiss informed Jack. Jack threw him to the ground. Hotchkiss tried to brace himself but he cried out in pain as his arm twisted as he fell. 

"Don't you understand, the Doctor has freed you. You don't have to listen to Ianto, me or anyone else ever again," Jack yelled at him furiously. His yelling woke the others and alerted the Doctor to the fact that something was wrong. 

"Master Ianto," Hotchkiss tried again. Jack moved quickly towards him. Leaning down he pulled Hotchkiss roughly to his feet as the Doctor came into the room. Jack turned to leave with Hotchkiss but the doorway was blocked. Not by the Doctor that he had left moments before but a man with a storm in his eyes. He stared at Jack and Jack had to stop himself from taking a step backward as the Doctor's eyes seemed to look through him. The Doctor didn't speak as he looked around the room, taking in everything. He saw Hazel sitting on the floor, her dress resting high on her thighs. She was sobbing softly as Mayter set next to her holding her. Jasper sat frozen on his blankets. He had been woken from a sound sleep and was sure that he was going to be punished even if he wasn't sure for what. The Doctor's gaze didn't stay on him for long, though, as he focused on the man that Jack was holding up. Hotchkiss was naked except for his trousers around his ankles. 

"Take him to the cells," The Doctor ordered. 

"Where are they?" Jack questioned unsure where to go. 

"Through the corridors, take a left and go down the stairs. The TARDIS will lead you from there," The Doctor answered moving out of the doorway to allow Jack to pass. 

"Come with me," Jack snipped pulling on Hotchkiss's arm. Hotchkiss didn't argue as he fell in step with Jack allowing Jack to lead him out of the room. The Doctor moved closer to where Hazel was still sitting. Kneeling down in front of her, he reached out to grab the closest blanket using it to cover her legs. 

"Are you alright?" He wondered his voice soft even if the fury still remained in his eyes. 

"Yes, sir," She answered her voice weak. Sending the TARDIS a message he waited as the TARDIS scanned her. He received confirmation a moment later that she didn't need medical care. 

"I am going to keep him in the cells for now, so you can rest without worry. You are safe aboard my ship and I promise I am not going to let anything like this happen again. You are free now. You don't have to breed with anyone just because someone ordered you to. Do you understand?" The Doctor questioned. She nodded weakly but the Doctor doubted it would be that simple. Standing up, he went out of their room making his way to the kitchen. He filled a pitcher with water then grabbed several cups, taking them back to the room. Pouring a glass of water, he offered it to Hazel. She took it from him bring it to her mouth and taking a small drink. 

"Thank you," She told him before taking another mouthful.

"You're welcome. Rest now. I will be right outside this door if you need me," The Doctor promised her. He went to the door, looking back at her before actually leaving the room. He watched as she leaned further into Mayter seeking his comfort. Stepping out, he closed the door behind himself as he waited for Jack to return. Their was still work to be done and maybe he could use his help after all.


	25. Chapter 25

Jack took his time walking with Hotchkiss to the cells. He really didn't feel like staying with the slaves nor dealing with the Doctor's anger. A part of him wished that he had never decided to go to the slave auctions with Ianto. Even as he thought it, though, he felt guilty because without him the Doctor would have been lost. He would have been bought by somebody who would have taken great pleasure in breaking the man until he was nothing more than a shell of the magnificent alien who stood before him. Still, he would hate to see anyone try to break the man.  
Finally reaching the door to the cells. He opened the door expecting to see a large room with cells. Therefore he was surprised to see only two single cells with a bed in them each. He opened the door to the first cell, placing Hotchkiss inside of it. Hotchkiss didn't fight Jack, accepting that he was going to be punished for following Master Ianto's orders. He stood there watching as Jack closed the cell door hearing it lock into place. 

"You might as well get comfortable, you are going to be in these cells for a while," Jack informed him. He sighed as Hotchkiss knelt down on the floor of the cell. He clasped his right wrist with his left hand as he hung his head to rest his chin upon his chest. Jack stared at him as he willing put himself into the submissive position, knowing that it wasn't the most comfortable position to remain in for long. Kneeling down so that he was eye-level with Hotchkiss he spoke again. "Hotchkiss look at me."

"Yes, Master Jack?" Hotchkiss responded his voice soft as he looked up at Jack. 

"I know that isn't comfortable for you to kneel on the cold stone ground. So why don't you move to the bed or if you insist on laying on the floor you should pull a blanket down to use," Jack informed him softly. Hotchkiss listened to Jack pulling the blanket down to the floor. He immediately returned to his submissive pose, however, as he didn't want to add to his punishment. Jack got back to his feet, leaving the submissive man kneeling in the cell. He was beginning to understand the Doctor's frustration with the slaves as they refused to acknowledge they were free. They wanted to be back with Ianto where life made sense despite the pain that he had caused them. 

Heading back to the control room, he stopped off at the little kitchen. He was positive that he hadn't passed the kitchen to get to the cells but it was on his way back to the Doctor's side. He rubbed the back of his neck as he waited for the kettle to heat. He poured himself a hot cup of coffee then made the Doctor a cup of tea. Returning to the Doctor, he placed the cup on the edge of the console before turning to sit on the Captain's chair. 

"Hotchkiss is secured," Jack informed the Doctor flopping down on the seat. 

"I will go talk to him in a little while. Right now, I need you to help me with a project," The Doctor answered. 

"You want me to help you?" Jack responded sounding surprised. The Doctor picked up the cup of tea as he turned to look at Jack. He didn't speak as he leaned against the console and took a sip. He felt the hot liquid warm his chest all the way down his stomach.

"I want you to use the monitor to research settlements that could take in the Koteshki and teach them how to live freely again. I know there are a few settlements spread throughout the universe but I don't know of any that could help Ianto's slaves," The Doctor informed him. It was only partly a lie. He knew of a couple of settlements that might be able to help Ianto's slaves rehabilitate back into living a normal life. He just wasn't sure which settlement to choose and he wanted to test Jack to see how much his opinions had changed the last few days. He watched as Jack glanced at the monitor seeing that the display was currently in the strange circular writing that he had seen throughout the ship.

"Is there another monitor that I can use?" Jack wondered as he looked back at the Doctor. 

"You can use the one in here. I am going to be monitoring the warehouse," The Doctor answered. 

"I can't read the screen," Jack started to tell him. The Doctor looked over at the monitor and Jack followed his lead. He almost felt as if someone were laughing at him as he saw that the screen was now in English. Shaking his head he went to sit in front of it. While he had never used a computer as advanced as the TARDIS before, he understood the basics. The keyboard was under the screen and while it also wasn't in English, it had a familiar layout. Situating his fingers on the keys he typed Koteshki. He felt relieved as the correct letters appeared in the search box. A list of files that he needed appeared on the screen and he chose the first one to begin to read. 

Almost another hour passed before he was informed by the TARDIS that it was safe to leave. With Jack distracted, the Doctor made his way over to the doors of the TARDIS. Opening them slowly, he peered out to find that while the factory still seemed as if it were open no guard was watching the area anymore. Opening the door further, he slipped out. He left the door open a crack as he crept forward into the factory. Looking around, he could see that the building was huge with conveyor belts stretching from one end of the building to the other. He kept an eye out for another guard as he crept forward to the nearest one. Pieces of metal were flying by on their way to their next destination. Reaching out, he grabbed one of them slipping it into his pocket. 

"You aren't supposed to be down here," A man snapped at him. He cursed himself silently that he hadn't heard the man coming up behind him as he was looking at the metal. 

"I was sent to inspect the line, sir," The Doctor responded keeping his voice low. 

"Slaves are not allowed near this side of the building. If someone is breaking protocols I need to know. Now, who sent you?" The man demanded to know. The Doctor hung his head but kept his eyes up as he turned to face the man.

"John," He answered using the name that Jack had given him. It wasn't a complete lie but he could see the doubt in the man's face. Realizing that he made a mistake, but not sure what he continued. "John Smith, sir."

"I know all the managers who work here and there is no one by that name," The man snipped. He reached out grabbing the Doctor's arm roughly in his hand. "Slaves who lie and go where they don't belong will be punished. Come with me." He started to pull the Doctor away from the conveyor belts and the safety of his TARDIS. The Doctor fought against him. The man had obviously dealt with stubborn slaves in the past because with one practiced move, he grabbed the Doctor's other arm as he kicked his feet out from underneath him forcing him to drop hard to his knees. The Doctor tried not to cry out in pain as he was unable to brace himself from landing. The man knelt down still holding his arms. His grip tightening.

"You have a choice. You either come with me willingly or I will beat your skin raw," the guard threatened. 

"Or you can just let him go," a familiar American drawl spoke up. The guard turned his head to look towards the voice as a fist connect firmly with the side of his head. The guard released his grip on the Doctor and started to stand up as a second fist connected with his head. He fell to the ground. 

"Thank you," The Doctor told Jack his voice trembling slightly as he started to stand. Jack offered him a hand up and he took it. 

"You're just lucky that I noticed you slip off the TARDIS," Jack informed him. "Now did you get what you needed?" 

"Yes," The Doctor answered. 

"Then let's get the hell out of here before he wakes up and calls for back up," Jack told him. The Doctor nodded his agreement as the two of them hurried to the safety of the TARDIS.


	26. Chapter 26

Once upon the TARDIS, the Doctor sent them back into the safety of the vortex before taking the piece of metal back to his lab. He needed to find out what the metal was and hopefully figure out what the Master was planning on making. Knowing the Master, it was going to be something extremely dangerous with the power to take out a small city if not the entire planet. The metal itself, however, was nothing special just a piece of steel that had been pounded to be extremely thin. It could be used to make anything from a simple tool to a large bomb. Frustrated he pushed the piece of metal aside as he leaned back to stare at the ceiling. He was going to have to explore more of the factories in order to figure out what the Master was up to. He couldn't do that, however, with the others on board. He was going to have to take them to safety before he put himself at risk to stop the Master. Standing up he made his way out to the control room to find Jack sitting on the captain's chair reading a book. He didn't notice as the Doctor entered the room until he spoke. 

"Did you find a place that we can take the others to?" The Doctor asked Jack as he made his way over to the console. Jack lowered the book, laying it face down on his leg in order to keep his place marked. 

"I did. There is a small colony on the planet Koteshkin where they take refugees and help rehabilitate them into living among the general population again," Jack informed the Doctor.

"What about Mayter, and Jasper, neither one of them are Koteshki," The Doctor advised Jack. He leaned against the console as he looked at Jack. "Mayter has been helping Hazel and I don't think it would be good to separate the two of them. Nor do I think it is a good idea to place Hotchkiss in the same colony as Hazel."

"The colony has separate homes for single men and single women while trying to keep families together. They are also used to taking in other aliens allowing them to integrate with the other Koteshkians," Jack answered. The Doctor nodded, happy that Jack had done his research. The Koteshki home planet had been invaded several thousand years ago by slave traders. They had waged war against the Koteshki's killing millions while taking thousands of their children as slaves. When the Shadow Proclamation learned what was happening they stepped in sending the Judoon to protect the Koteshkis. It didn't end the war right away as many more were killed before the Koteshkis were finally freed. With their numbers decimated they started accepting refugees from other planets in order to help. Now they were an integrated society that housed many different species that all lived together.

"We will take them there then. Once the five of you are settled, I will go back to researching the factories and hopefully put a stop to the Master's plans," the Doctor told him setting the coordinates.

"I'm not staying with them," Jack informed him firmly. 

"The Master is a very dangerous man, Jack," The Doctor responded, not looking at Jack as he moved around the console. Occasionally he flicked a switch or pulled a lever as he drove. 

"That is why you need me to help you," Jack argued. 

"Despite what you did to me on Earth, I am not going to put you or anyone else in danger. I have gone against the Master in the past and know what he is capable of. He won't hesitate to hurt or kill you in order to get to me and I am not going to give him that chance," the Doctor hissed irritably. 

"If he is as dangerous as you say he is, then you need my help. I have been trained by Torchwood in combat and I can help you," Jack informed him. The Doctor looked up at Jack, the darkness once more in his eyes. 

"I have walked away from a war larger than your mind could possibly perceive. I don't need you to protect me as I can take care of myself," The Doctor advised Jack.

"You did a great job of that on Earth," Jack responded. The Doctor's glare darkened.

"Only because you held me hostage," The Doctor reminded him coldly. Jack took a deep breath letting out slowly as he rubbed the bridge of his nose between his two fingers. He didn't want to leave the Doctor to live on a new planet with a group of people who thought of him as a slave owner. Nor could he return to Earth as he would be arrested on the spot for his involvement in helping the Doctor take Ianto's slaves. Helping the Doctor had given him a sense of purpose and a way to attone for the pain that he had caused slaves over the years, even if he had never kept one for himself before the Doctor. 

"I was wrong to keep you as a slave and I'm sorry. I should have listened to you from the start and set you free like you asked me to. I can't change what I did but if you let me, I can help others from suffering the same fate. I can't do that, though, if I am stuck on Koteshkin," Jack advised him. The Doctor's eyes softened slightly as he listened to Jack. 

"Fine," The Doctor snapped at him. Jack tried not to smile as the Doctor turned his back to him again beginning the landing sequence. The TARDIS landed with a thump causing the inside of the TARDIS to shake. Jack stood from the captain's chair going down to the cells to retrieve Hotchkiss while the Doctor went to retrieve the others. Jack found Hotchkiss kneeling in the middle of the cell. Tears stained his cheeks but he didn't look up as Jack opened the cell nor did he move from the position as Jack approached.

"Come along, Hotchkiss," Jack told him softly placing a hand on his arm. 

"Yes, sir," Hotchkiss answered, his voice shaking as much as his body as he stood up. He was positive that he was going to be punished for following Master Ianto's orders. He didn't fight Jack, however, as he was lead up the stairs to where the others were waiting for them. Jack took him over to the small group, not missing the fact that Hazel placed Mayter between her and Hotchkiss. The Doctor opened the door leading them out of the TARDIS and into the sunny field. 

"Hello, my name is Kana," A young woman with a friendly smile spoke as she approached the TARDIS. She had light blue skin with black hair that was pulled back into a simple bun. Her simple dress hung to her knees showing her bare feet. She didn't seem to care that six people just stepped out of a small box having seen many different modes of transportation over the years. 

"I'm the Doctor. This is Jack, Hotchkiss, Jasper, Hazel and Mayter," The Doctor advised to her motioning to each of them in turn. 

"Are you seeking refuge?" Kana questioned. 

"They are. They are former slaves from Earth who need help relearning how to be a part of a society again," Jack answered her. 

"Of course," Kana replied. "If you will come with me, I will get you settled." She motioned for them to follow her. They didn't move as they looked hesitantly towards Jack. 

"It's alright. You're free now. You don't have to listen to me or anyone else ever again," Jack told them. Hazel took Mayter's hand before hesitantly taking a step forward. Kana's smile never wavered as she reached out for Jasper's hand. He took it allowing her to lead him forward with Mayter and Hazel following behind them. Hotchkiss looked towards the group leaving, then turned to look at Jack. The confusion was clear in his eyes. 

"Go with them," The Doctor advised him softly. Hotchkiss looked at the other's one last time before turning to look at the Doctor. He didn't say anything as he hurried after the others not wanting to be separated from the others. Despite everything that had happened in Ianto's home, they had always had each other and he didn't want to lose Mayter or Jasper. The Doctor watched as he caught up to the others taking Jasper's hand in his own. Turning away he headed back onto the TARDIS, going to the console. There would be time to check on them later, right now he and Jack had work to do.


	27. Chapter 27

Jack sighed as he picked up one of the pieces of metal, tossing it onto the growing pile by the door. Ever since they had dropped off Ianto's slaves, the Doctor had seemed bound and determined to prove that he didn't need anyone to help him. Jack wasn't sure how much time passed as together they jumped from warehouse to warehouse. Not that he got to see much of the inside as it was always, "Wait for me here, Jack." Or "Stay on the TARDIS, Jack," as the Doctor went out looking for evidence of what the Master was up to. Jack listened, for the most part, staying in the control room and watching the monitors as the Doctor moved about. Nothing the Doctor brought back aboard the TARDIS offered them any help. All of the shards of metal he collected were the same. With not much else to do, besides eating or sleeping, Jack examined them as well finding that every single one of them was made out of the same metal, though the sizes and shapes varied. There was nothing that stood out from each piece except for the small letter carved in each corner. He tried to ask the significance of the letter but the Doctor ignored him.

Bored, Jack wandered to the door looking out. Though the warehouse varied slightly in shape and size, they were all set up the same. The slaves worked on the right side of the building, cutting the metal pieces and then shaping them. They then place the pieces of metal on a conveyor belt that carried it through the warehouse to where another small group sat. They boxed the metal and then sent it down the line once more to where it was loaded onto a truck. Occasionally, he saw a human wander by as they managed the slaves, making sure that the factory continued to run smoothly. Once of twice, he watched a security guard make their way around the conveyor belts, checking for wayward slaves, but for the most part, they were left on their own. 

"Get inside, Jack," The Doctor commanded as he made his way back to the TARDIS with a handful of metal. As he entered, he tossed it on the pile near the door before making his way over to the controls. 

"Find anything new, or was that factory a waste of time as well?" Jack asked him snidely. The Doctor glared at him as he released the handbrake sending them on their way. 

"You're the one who wanted to come," The Doctor reminded him as he drove. 

"Yeah, in order to help you," Jack snipped. 

"I told you that I didn't need any help," The Doctor replied. 

"Only because you are a stubborn alien," Jack responded letting his irritation get the best of him. The Doctor narrowed his eyes as he moved around the console. 

"And you're just a stupid ape," The Doctor hissed loud enough that Jack could hear him but soft enough that Jack had trouble understanding him. He was tired and sore from his injuries. All he wanted to do was take pain killers before climbing into bed to rest. He couldn't yet, though. He had to prove to Jack that he didn't need him so that he could keep him safe from the Master by leaving him with the others on Koteshkian. 

"What was that?" Jack questioned moving towards the Doctor. The Doctor turned to face Jack, the storm burning in his eyes. Jack glared right back at him as the Doctor failed to answer. Instead, he moved around Jack to hit the next switch. Jack didn't have time to brace himself as the TARDIS jolted to the side causing him to fall. The Doctor casually stepped over him turning what looked like a faucet handle. He hit a bell several times with a hammer, then pulled another lever as Jack climbed to his feet. The TARDIS landed with a thump causing Jack to fall forward again. 

"Wait here," The Doctor told him heading towards the door. 

"I'll wait here," Jack seethed, getting back to his feet. Determined, he made his way across the TARDIS and out of the main doors. Stepping out, he made his way away from the conveyor belts to where the slaves were boxing up the metal. Keeping an eye out for the guards, he moved between them as they worked. None of them paid him any attention as he moved about watching them. They each picked up the same amount of metal, placing it in the box before sending it down the line. None of them wrote any addresses on the box, nor did they put any kind of shipping information. 

Glancing back, to make sure that the TARDIS was still there, he made his way towards the loading docks. There were several guards down on the dock, watching as the slaves loaded the boxes into the large trucks. He watched from a distance as one of the men loading the truck tripped dropping the box he was holding. He grabbed the box, scrambling quickly to his feet but not fast enough to avoid being kicked by one of the guards. The man stumbled as the guard's foot connected with his leg but he managed to keep his footing as he hurried to the truck. Jack growled softly at the abuse. While he understood administering punishments to retrain behavior, there was no need for the guard to kick the man when he was down. He looked down at his own hands, seeing himself spanking the Doctor for trying to escape. How was he any better than that guard when his own hands had hurt the Doctor? Not wanting to see anymore, he turned away from the loading docks making his way back to the TARDIS. The Doctor was already standing in the control room leaning against the console. He had his arms crossed. 

"I thought I told you to stay on the TARDIS," the Doctor told him. 

"You did and I'm sorry," Jack apologized surprising him. "Since the pieces of metal aren't giving us any answers, I was hoping to find out where the metal was being shipped to." 

"And did you?" The Doctor questioned. 

No, they have no shipping information on any of their boxes. From what I saw on the loading dock, though, all of the boxes are heading to the same location. If we followed one of the trucks, we could find out where they are shipping the metal to," Jack answered. The Doctor turned away from Jack moving around the console. It was a good idea and he wondered why he didn't think about it. Probably because he was thick and too busy trying to prove to Jack that he didn't need any help rather than listening to him. 

"We could follow the truck but depending on where it is going that could take days. It would be easier to hack their system in order to figure out the location," the Doctor told Jack. 

"I didn't see any computers near the packing stations and I don't think we would be able to make it to their offices without being spotted," Jack explained to the Doctor. To his surprise, the Doctor chuckled. 

"That's alright, I can use the TARDIS to hack their computer system from here," The Doctor responded. "Good work, Jack." It didn't take him long to hack the system downloading the information. He would need to analyze it, however, in order to figure out where the Master was sending the materials. Sending the TARDIS into the vortex, he took her out quickly again. 

"Another warehouse?" Jack wondered. 

"No, we are currently orbiting a small uninhabited planet. I need to analyze the information she received and rest for awhile before we continue," The Doctor admitted. He didn't look at Jack as he went to the corridors. He made his way to the medi-bay first topping up his painkillers before heading to his bed. He showered, changed into his pajamas then crossed the room to crawl underneath the blankets. He couldn't help the smile that appeared as he saw a cup of tea waiting for him. Silently thanking Jack, he took a sip of the sweet liquid feeling it warm his chest down to his stomach. Content, he crawled into bed, drifting quickly off into a dreamless sleep.


	28. Chapter 28

While the Doctor slept, Jack sat down at the console working. While the Doctor didn't like to ask his help for anything, he wasn't stupid and wanted to prove to the Doctor that he could be an asset to him rather than the hindrance the Doctor saw him as. Besides, it wasn't hard for him to use the monitor to up the information that the TARDIS had downloaded from the last warehouse they had visited. Most of the information was useless as it was their day to day goals, employee protocols and safety information for the warehouse. Going through the employee information, he was surprised to see that ninety percent of their regular employees had been replaced with slaves over the last two years. It wasn't surprising as the slaves were paid less an hour and also worked longer hours as there were no legal limitation on the slaves beyond what their owners demanded. 

Despite not needing the information, he couldn't stop himself from continuing to read. He reviewed the records, seeing that their productivity had raised exponentially while their injury reports had fallen. Jack doubted it was because the slaves didn't get hurt as much but it attested to the fact that no one cared when they were injured. The turn-over rate had also fallen since they increased the slave labor. Jack didn't have to think hard about that one to know that the slaves didn't have an option of where they worked and he was positive if they were fired their punishment at home would be severe. He could only imagine how Ianto would have punished his slaves if Jack had forbidden them from returning to Torchwood due to their incompetence. 

He pushed the screen away, needing a break as he thought of just how badly the slaves were treated on Earth. He had always known it was wrong but he had ignored it allowing slaves to work in Torchwood and even taking the Doctor as a slave of his own. He didn't even think about the consequences or of whether it was wrong for him to spank the Doctor in order to punish him. He just followed what was deemed appropriate becoming angrier as the Doctor rebelled, trying desperately to escape from his grasp. He should have helped the Doctor, not hindered him. 

Moving out of the control room, he walked slowly down the corridors until he came to the Doctor's room. As quietly as he could, he pushed the door open until he could see the man sleeping peacefully within his bed. He was buried deep beneath the thick comforter with the blankets almost compeletly covering his head. Jack watched him sleeping for a moment, in his bed like he belonged rather than tied to the end of his bed like Jack made him sleep. Or even worse in the basement on thin sheets like Ianto's slaves used to sleep. Feeling even worse, he closed the door softly leaving the Doctor to his dreams. He went across the corridor to his own room letting himself inside. 

Undressing, he went into the bathroom climbing into the shower. He turned on the water as hot as possible scrubbing at his skin until it was red and felt raw. Feeling slightly better, he quickly washed his hair and body. He turned off the water drying off while still in the bathroom. He dressed in clean clothes before considering climbing into bed. He wasn't tired, though. Instead, he hurried back to the control room sitting down in front of the monitor once more. He was still working hours later when the Doctor came shuffling sleepily into the control. His hair was messy from sleeping and he had a fresh cup of tea in one hand and a banana in the other. He yawned as he flopped on the Captain's chair next to Jack looking at the screen. 

"Have you found anything interesting?" He wondered. He yawned again, lifting the cup to cover his mouth before taking a sip. 

"Maybe you should go back to bed?" Jack suggested. The Doctor shook his head no. 

"I just don't understand what is the point of sleeping if you're still tired when you wake up," The Doctor complained. He reached out with the hand holding the banana to adjust the monitor so that he could see it better. He frowned when he realized he couldn't get a grip with the banana still in his hand. Jack chuckled, pushing the screen towards him.

"In answer to your question, yes I did," Jack responded. He explained the information that he found on the employees in the system. The Doctor didn't seem the least bit surprised as he listened on quietly enjoying his breakfast. He finished off his tea with a slurp, putting the banana peel into the empty cup. "I also find out where they are shipping all of the metal to," Jack finished. 

"Really?" The Doctor wondered slightly more awake now that he had finished eating. 

"Yep," Jack told him. He gave the Doctor the address that he had found within the system, then the coordinates that the TARDIS had associated with the address. Jumping to his feet, the Doctor pushed the cup into Jack's hands before in putting the coordinates. He danced around the controls driving the TARDIS as Jack took the cup back to the kitchen. He returned standing in the doorway of the control room watching as the Doctor landed the TARDIS. Rushing towards the door, he grabbed his coat pulling it on. 

"Jack," The Doctor started. 

"I know stay in the TARDIS and don't touch anything," Jack finished for him, the sarcasm clear in his tone. 

"If you want, I was going to suggest you come with me," The Doctor told him. Jack smiled. Not giving the Doctor a chance to change his mind, he rushed forward grabbing his own coat off of the coral. Together they stepped out of the TARDIS into a massive building site. The area was fenced off and guards patrolled the entire place. Jack's mouth hung open in shock as his moved along the giant platform to the three spikes sticking high into the air. He had never seen anything like it before. Forcing his eyes away, he looked at the Doctor to ask if he had. The anger on the Doctor's face answered the question before he asked it, though. "What is it, Doctor?"

"He's building a transporter," The Doctor answered. The question was, for what.


	29. Chapter 29

"You mean a teleporter?" Jack clarified. 

"If you would like," the Doctor agreed. "Only this one can't teleport people as it is specifically designed to teleport materials."

"How can you tell?" Jack questioned as he looked at the machine again. 

"Because I've seen this design used before. They would teleport the materials to make weapons from one planet to another in order to aid the Time War. The metal plates that he has all of the factories making could then be melted down again in order to form weapons, but that doesn't make any sense. Why not just shape the materials in the factories before sending them out. What is he up too?" The Doctor wondered as he stared up at the three spares. 

"You always have missed the bigger picture, Theta," The Master spoke up from behind them. Jack jumped in surprise. Spinning around he reached for his gun that he normally kept on his hip before remembering that the Doctor had thrown it out of the TARDIS. The Doctor, however, turned around slowly with his eyes narrowed. He had sensed the other Time Lord's presence and wasn't surprised to see him standing on the platform with them. 

"What are you up to?" The Doctor asked trying to sound bored. 

"That is for you to figure out. Now security is on its way so unless you want to become Ianto's pet, I suggest you run along," The Master suggested. Rather than turning towards the TARDIS, the Doctor moved closer to the Master. Jack reached out taking his arm, but the Doctor pulled it away with ease. He wasn't afraid of the Master as they had played this game since they were children. At one time he thought that the Master was his friend and he still had the ever lasting hope that one day they would be friends again. 

"Come on, Doctor," Jack told him. 

"This ends tonight," The Doctor informed the Master. Turning away he strolled casually towards his TARDIS ignoring the guards screaming at them to stop. He made sure that Jack was on board before closing the doors to the blue box sealing them inside. 

"How can this end tonight if we don't even know what he is up to?" Jack questioned the Doctor as together they headed up the ramp. 

"It's a time machine, Jack," The Doctor answered sounding exasperated as he flipped switches and pulled a lever. He hit a few buttons before sending the TARDIS into the vortex. He moved leaning against the coral as he thought about what to do next. A part of him knew that Jack was right. Despite having a time machine, he wasn't sure how he was going to end it tonight. There was still too much that he didn't know. That wasn't going to stop him, though. The Master had perverted the Earth's history and he was determined to set it right. By tonight, he would figure out the Master's plan and put a stop to it. Then he would set the slaves of Earth free setting the planet back on track. The only question was how. 

He needed time to think, time to figure out what the Master was up to. Resetting the coordinates, he landed the TARDIS on an uninhabited planet. Going to the doors, he exited out onto the pure white sand of the beach. Bright green water lapped the sand slowly pulling it out to see. Above them, the sky was overcast with gray clouds with the sun lighting the planet from behind them. 

"Where are we?" Jack asked as he stepped out after the Doctor. 

"Alone," The Doctor told him rather than answering his question. He continued on his way across the beach walking slowly. "I'll be back soon."

"I'm coming with you," Jack informed him starting after him. The Doctor shook his head no. 

"We are safe here and I need time to think. Just wait here for me," The Doctor responded. 

"Alright," Jack agreed, not really liking it. If the Doctor didn't return, he had no way off this planet as he wasn't sure how to drive the TARDIS. Not that he had nowhere to go. He couldn't go home, nor could he return to his family or friends. He watched the Doctor continue down the beach, he picked up his pace as he went until soon he was running. Jack watched him turn into the woods that lined the beach, disappearing into the trees. Knowing that he had no chance of catching up to the Time Lord, he went back inside to wait for him.


	30. Chapter 30

While the Doctor ran alone on the new planet, Jack stayed near the TARDIS. He sat in the control room waiting for the Doctor to return for awhile before making his way back out the doors. He stared out at the bright green water watching it lap slowly at the pure white sand. It was his second time on an alien planet and this one actually looked alien compared to the earth. Not only was the water bright green, but the trees were a strange shade that was almost purple with leaves that also had purple hues. He breathed in the strange air wondering what the atmosphere was composed of that allowed the planet to evolve these strange colors. 

He didn't dare touch the water as it looked toxic to him, but he did sit down in the white sand running it through his fingers. He scooped up a hand full letting it fall out of his hand into a small mound in front of him. The sand felt soft almost silky to the touch. Falling back, he laid looking up at the gray clouds in the sky. At least they felt familiar, as he could almost pretend that he was back on Earth staring at the sky above Cardiff. Almost because there were no other people on the beach laughing or talking as they played in the sand. There were no birds in the sky, nor could he hear any. He wondered briefly if there was any life on this planet beyond the plants that grew here. The Doctor had promised they were alone and safe. Did he mean just on this beach or was this planet barren?

He was still staring at the sky when he heard someone approaching. They sat down heavily in the sand beside him, not saying a word. Jack didn't need to look over to know that the Doctor had returned. They sat in a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they listened to the water lapping on the beach. As the sun began to sink below the waves causing the sky to turn a brilliant shade of reds, purples and, yellows among the grey clouds Jack finally broke the silence. 

"Did you figure out what he is up to?" Jack questioned the Doctor without looking at him. 

"He is building a bomb that could destroy not only the earth but with the materials he is transporting off the planet, any planet that he chooses could also be gone in an instant. The question is how do I stop him," The Doctor answered. 

"Is that why he is using the slaves in the factories now? So that he can have them build his bomb without the rest of the earth finding out?" Jack wondered. 

"He isn't building the bombs in the factories, Jack. If he were the humans that still work there would leak the information. No, he is using the factories to shape the pieces he needs then shipping them off-world where they can be assembled and sent back. The reason he is using the aliens is that they have been trained not to ask questions. He could have separate groups working on different metals and not one of them would dare question it or risk being punished," The Doctor spat. "You humans. You stupid little apes allowed him to come to your planet and played right into his hands. He has been molding your planet for over one hundred years now and all of it is leading to your destruction. Now I have to save you lot, but I'm not sure I want to."

"You're right we don't deserve to be saved," Jack told him sitting up. He looked over at the Time Lord who was still staring out at the water. "We are a selfish race that allowed him to manipulate us but if you allow him to destroy the planet you are also killing the people you are trying to save. All the innocent aliens on that planet will be gone along with countless innocent children. You can't tell me that they deserve to die to for our mistakes."

"I'm not going to allow him to destroy the earth," The Doctor answered hollowly. He had seen that happen before to his own planet and he never wanted to see it again. He didn't want to have to count the number of children on a second planet that was gone because of him or close his eyes and listen to their screams in the darkness of his room. "You're right, there are countless innocents on that planet and regardless of what happened to me, they don't deserve to die."

"So how do we stop him?" Jack wondered. 

"I don't know," the Doctor answered. He finally turned his head to look at Jack. "But I promise you that we will stop him and then we will set every alien on that planet free."

"The world will be chaos. We rely on them to help out in our homes, work in the factories, and take care of our children. There are people like Ianto who don't know how to survive without the aliens who take care of them." 

"While I admit it won't be easy, they can learn. Humanity survived for thousands of years and they will continue to survive with or without the help of the aliens who currently live there. They also won't be abandoned by all of the aliens. While I will transport home the ones that want to leave, there are millions on that planet who were born on Earth and won't want to leave it behind. Humanity will have to learn to live in peace with those who decide to stay and people like you will have to step up to lead them," the Doctor told him. 

"I'm no better than the rest of humanity. I took you as a slave and would have kept you as one if you hadn't taken me in the TARDIS," Jack answered. 

"You changed your mind, though, Jack. You saw what was happening on Earth and you helped me to free a small group from Ianto. If you can change your mind then so can millions of others on Earth. I am not saying they will all accept it but over time they can learn to accept that they have to share their planet with another free race of beings," the Doctor told him. From his short time on Earth, he knew that there was already a small group on Earth that was fighting to free the slaves and he hoped that he wasn't making a mistake in thinking that more people could be convinced to free their slaves. 

He stood up brushing his trousers off then offered a hand up to Jack. Jack smiled at him as he took his hand allowing the Doctor to help him to his feet. He led Jack onto the TARDIS reseting the corrdinates for a new destation. He still needed to figure out a way to stop the Master but in the mean time, he wanted to show Jack what could happen if humanity managed to live in peace with the aliens that they once enslaved.


	31. Chapter 31

It was a calculated risk, but a risk none the less as the Doctor landed the TARDIS a few years in the future on the same planet he had dropped Ianto's slaves off on. He wanted Jack to see that it was possible for the aliens who had been enslaved to live normal lives. That despite their rough beginnings they were able to adapt and grow. He wasn't sure if the humans would be able to do the same but he had to be optimistic that they could live in harmony with the aliens they once kept as slaves. He let Jack go ahead of him as he pulled on his coat stepping out in the bright sunlight. 

"Where are we?" Jack questioned as he looked around the unfamiliar landscape. The Doctor had the TARDIS locate Hazel as she had shown him kindness when he was knocked down to a slave by the humans. He wasn't sure where she was in the village but he walked towards it with his head held high and a sense of purpose. 

"You'll see, just head towards the village," the Doctor answered as he looked forward to seeing the familiar face. Despite having the TARDIS locate Hazel, she still chose to park away from the village causing them to have to walk over a half hour to reach the small place. As they approached it was clear to see that all the buildings were made of wood with a mixture of thatched and wooden roofs. Children of multiple species ran laughing in the fields around them as the adults worked tending to the crops. As they grew closer to the village a young maiden with a baby tied to her chest came down the road. She was older than the last time the Doctor had seen her and she smiled brightly upon seeing him hurrying over. 

"Doctor," she called out. She rushed towards the Doctor. 

"Hazel," The Doctor responded just as happily. She glanced towards Jack as she wrapped her arms around the Doctor being careful of her son. The Doctor hugged her back just as carefully with a large smile on his face. After a short moment, he let her go, stepping back so that he could look at her. "How is everyone?"

"I'm sorry Doctor but first I must ask you does the nightingale still fly?" Hazel questioned him. He looked at her in confusion and she smiled softly at him. "You will understand one day and while there are many who would welcome you until you understand, I cannot let you into the village."

"That's alright, I think we've seen enough," The Doctor told her, amazed by the young woman who was standing in front of him. She was no longer the quiet slave but a strong woman who could stand up to him. He hugged her again, pleased with her progress as he wondered how long it had been since he had brought her to the planet. He turned to leave, seeing Jack standing there open mouthed as he stared at her. He put a hand on Jack's shoulder as he passed. "Come along, Jack."

Jack didn't listen to him as he took a step towards Hazel. Hazel stared him directly in the eyes, showing a confidence that Jack would have never seen if she had stayed on Earth. If the Doctor hadn't rescued her, the baby around her chest would have been a result of Hotchkiss forcing himself on her under Ianto's orders. How many children would she have had taken from her until Ianto allowed her to keep one near? The child would never truly be her's, though, as it was raised to follow Ianto's orders. He looked at the baby, feeling guilty as he thought of all the alien children still on Earth. The ones that would never know their real parents as they tended to children their age or adults who could no longer take care of themselves. 

"Hazel, I'm sorry," Jack apologized to her. She reached out her hand to him and Jack took it, feeling her squeeze his hand tightly. 

"It has taken me a long time, but I forgive you," Hazel responded. To Jack's surprise, she stepped forward wrapping her arms around him. He stood there stiffly for a long moment before he finally raised his own arms returning the hug. The Doctor didn't say anything, letting them have a moment as he tried not to watch. Instead, he turned looking at the field watching as the other's worked. He tried to spot anyone he knew but no one was familiar. He wondered silently how many of them were former slaves from Earth, that had been brought here by him. He pulled his eyes away from the fields as Jack came over to stand by his side. 

"Tell me how I can help you defeat him," Jack told the Doctor. The Doctor turned his eyes only towards Jack. 

"Are you sure you're ready? It is going to be difficult because he has been manipulating your planet for the last one hundred years. He has billions of people backing him and the two of us will be facing him alone," the Doctor informed him.

"We have to try," Jack responded. 

"Well then, Allons-y," The Doctor smiled. He turned running towards the TARDIS, hearing Jack keep pace behind him. Despite his speech about being on their own, he knew that the two of them couldn't defeat the Master on their own. Not without help. Thankfully, even though there were billions who supported the Master, there were small groups who were fighting to free the slaves. Their voices had been ignored by the general population, until today. Today they would finally get a chance to see their dream come true and with the Doctor's help, Earth would become a free planet once again.


End file.
